Far From The Tree
by Shade the Hero
Summary: Life after Omega is looking up for Cloud and his friends, but danger soon rises over the horizon and with it the appearance of a mysterious girl with overwhelming abilities. The one responsible for her existence wants her back and isn't afraid to kill any who get in his way. Can Cloud keep his family safe, or does he need some help from old friends? Collab with Screwygirl!
1. Who's That Girl

_**Shade the Hero:** Hello my wonderful, amazing readers! Have we got a surprise for you! Yes, you heard me. "WE" I've teamed up with a very new, yet talented writer on here, by the name of ScrewyGirl and we have such an amazing story planned for you guys! Now before you start to worry, please don't. This new story is not stopping my other stories anytime soon. Nightmare Undone is still right on track and so is Materias Reaction...well okay, that one hit a snag, but only because of a certain character that needed to be changed around a bit, but an update is still in the works! I want to thank you all again for your amazing support with that story, you guys are the best! :D Also, this story has a great movie trailer on youtube. A link will be posted on my profile and it's also on Screwygirl's profile too! Take it away my friend!_

 _Co-author's note (screwygirl): I am so honored and beyond thrilled to be collaborating on this story with the talented fanfic writer, Shade the Hero! Thanks for reading, and I hope you all enjoy the ride!_

 _Final Fantasy VII and all its amazing characters belong to Square Enix_

 _Plot and All Original characters belong to us._

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

- **WHO'S THAT GIRL?** -

 _ **Where am I? What is this place?**_

 _It matters not._

 _ **Why does it not matter?**_

 _Because you have been given life._

 _ **Life...**_

 _Life...a state of existing...consciousness...self-awareness..._

 _ **Yes...yes, I have these things.**_

 _It is a gift. I will help you to use it._

 _ **Who are you?**_

 _I am the point from which you began._

 _ **I am from you?**_

 _Yes. You are...from me._

 _ **If that is true, are you my mother?**_

 _Yes. I am your mother._

 _ **Hello, mother.**_

 _Hello, my child._

* * *

Desolate. Empty. Barren. The wastes of Midgar were often described with these words. Any vehicle driving through kicked up so much dust that someone outside could certainly suffocate. Not much wild life inhabited these dark, abandoned lands, but monsters seemed to thrive in them. Recently, there had been a surge in strange creature populations; one person had reported seeing a Marlboro wandering around. For this reason, Tifa decided to borrow Barret's rundown truck to make her trip to Kalm.

She couldn't complain about her life in the last year. After the Great Gospel had rained down, she and Cloud became so much closer. Denzel emerged from the whole ordeal as a strong, optimistic pre-teenager and had started learning how to defend himself. Marlene began showing an interest in healing and medicine, being so compassionate. Business at 7th Heaven flourished, demanding a wider variety of spirits and food, hence the reason for her journey to Kalm. One of her regulars mentioned a man who imported a new type of wine, and Tifa had ordered a few cases from this man.

Her relationship with Cloud hadn't been perfect, though she didn't really mind it. He had always had a difficult time communicating with anyone, the battle-hardened warrior that he was, but they managed to work out their issues after Tifa pestered him mercilessly. She had resigned herself to this because when you love someone, you loved them, faults and all. There was always that small fear, however, that he would shut her out and simply leave. After all, he had done it before...that damn inclination to face his problems alone.

Denzel turned out to be such a quick study; Tifa worried that he might be getting a little overconfident. The pre-teen was constantly running into battles, which was okay locally, but he had yet to face adversaries that might have been too much for the young boy. Luckily, there weren't many monsters in the area that might be too advanced for the kid, and it was really good practice. It didn't stop Tifa from worrying, though. Sometimes at night, she would sneak into his room while he was sleeping and just watch him breathing, thankful that he was still alive.

Finally arriving at Kalm, Tifa hopped out of the truck and took in the view of the now bustling town. When she had first seen it, Kalm had been a quiet little village with a low population. Once Midgar was destroyed, people flooded to the closest area, looking for a place to call home. Its residents had really stepped up, doing their best to accommodate everyone, and in the end, the village grew to a fairly large town with high commerce.

Heading into one of the merchant shops, Tifa saw the burly owner standing behind the counter. His expression brightened at the sight of her.

"Tifa!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together, "So nice to see you!"

"Hi, Corden," she greeted, smiling, "How's the wife?"

"Oma is great," he replied cordially, "She finally kicked that bug that's been goin' around."

"Glad to hear it," she said, walking towards the counter.

"How's Cloud and the kids?" he asked.

"They're fine," Tifa answered, leaning on the counter with one elbow, "You have my order?"

"Sure do, Tifa," he told her, "Need some help bringing it out?"

"That'd be great, Corden," she accepted the offer. Truthfully, she didn't need the help, but she wasn't about to turn it down, either. Corden left the room via the rear door and returned with three boxes, setting them down in front of Tifa. He repeated this three times for a total of nine boxes. By the time he was done bringing them out, Tifa had already brought half of them to the truck. Once they were finished, Tifa paid for the order.

"I can get plenty more," Corden informed her, "Just let me know if they're a success."

"I'll do that," Tifa nodded, "Take care, Okay, Corden?"

"You too, Tifa," he returned the well wishes, "Be careful out there in the wastes."

She walked out the door, waving goodbye over her shoulder. The moment she was outside she heard a small voice.

"Tifa! Tifa!"

Grinning, she knew who it was. Turning around, she spotted a small boy, around 7 years old running towards her. She adopted a shocked look on her face.

"No!" she cried in mock surprise, "Who is that? It can't be Jax! You are much too tall to be Jax!"

The child giggled, throwing his arms about her for a hug. She crouched down so that she was eye-level with him.

"It's me, Tifa!" he insisted, "I swear!"

"Jax?" she questioned, "You've grown at least a foot since I last saw you!"

"And I got more muscle, too!" the child boasted, holding up his arm for a proper display. Tifa reached out and touched his arm.

"Wow," she gasped, "That is a lot of muscle!"

Jax beamed with pride, staring up at her with those big green eyes.

"You just wait til I catch up to you, Tifa!" he announced, "When I do, I'm gonna marry you!"

She laughed, ruffling his black hair.

"I'll see you next time, Jax," she chuckled.

"Bye, Tifa!"

The boy dashed away, leaving Tifa with a grin on her face. Jax was one of the many chidren who were orphaned after the Omega incident. In Edge, one of Tifa's friends had started a sort of home for children who had lost their parents, but in Kalm, no such place existed. It was sad because Tifa knew of several who lived on the streets, but no one had thought to help them. Whenever Cloud visited Kalm, the kids flocked to him, and he and Tifa used that opportunity to bring food, clothing, and toys for them. She had to admit that it was kind of sweet the way kids reacted to Cloud.

She walked back to the truck, sat herself in the driver's seat, and began the four-hour drive back to Edge. It would probably be late afternoon by the time she got back, and, hopefully, Denzel and Marlene would have their homework done by that time. Sometimes, Cloud would start training sessions with Denzel before his school work, and then Tifa would have to keep Denzel up late to finish it. She had to admit, though, that the training was becoming a necessity with the strange appearances of monsters.

At first she had thought that it was only rumors. A man came to the bar one evening claiming that he had seen a gargoyle in the wastes. Cloud had reassured Tifa that gargoyles only lived up north and that there was no way one of them could be here. Later, a couple of guys were chatting about how they had been attacked by gremlins just outside Kalm. Again, Cloud explained that they were indigenous to the north. More and more claims of unlikely creatures appearing in the area started to spread, and it made Tifa more than a little nervous.

Finally, Tifa witnessed the oddities with her own eyes. As she was driving to Fort Condor for some supplies, she saw an adamantaimai ambling along right near Edge! She used her PHS to call Cloud, who immediately rode out to meet her. They both handled the monster easily, but others who were not trained for combat might not be able to protect themselves. From that point on, Cloud had taken it upon himself to start patrolling the area. He kept running into monsters that just didn't belong in the wastes.

Tifa was so lost in thought that she almost didn't see the pack of guard hounds dashing across the path of the truck. Out of reflex, Tifa yanked the wheel to avoid an impact with one of these creatures. She was pretty sure that Barret wouldn't appreciate hound guts embedded in the grill of his truck. Oddly enough, the hounds didn't seem to notice the truck, so Tifa braked hard, causing the vehicle to skid to the side.

With all the dust that had been kicked up, it was difficult for Tifa to see where they had gone. She waited for some of it to settle, and as it did, the silhouettes slowly appeared through the cloudy haze. She could barely make out the very large pack, but as the situation became clearer, Tifa suddenly realized, in horror, that the beasts were chasing someone.

She didn't even think about it. Tifa jumped into the truck, bringing it back to life. She stomped on the gas pedal, aiming her truck for the head of the pack.

'Hold on,' she thought at the stranger, accelerating Barret's truck to its top speed.

Just as Tifa rammed the truck into the pack leader three of the hounds jumped the stranger, pinning the person to the ground, attacking savagely. Rushing out of the truck, Tifa ran as fast as she could to the victim, whose shriek of pain rang in her ears. Each of the hounds raised their heads, as if they had just realized that the head of the pack was gone; Tifa used it to her advantage, landing a solid round-house kick to all three of them. She heard a sickly crunch as each of their necks snapped. With four of their pack mates dead, one of them being the alpha, the rest took off.

Tifa knelt down next to the cloaked girl, who had passed out either from the wounds on her leg and hip or from the sheer exhaustion of running from a pack of guard hounds. She couldn't just leave the poor girl here; the wastes were dangerous for people who couldn't handle themselves, not to mention she was injured. Those bites could become infected easily and quickly; guard hound bites were notorious for that. Tifa pulled the girl's arm around her neck, lifting her up and carrying her back to the truck, with some difficulty. Sliding her into the passenger seat elicited a moan from the girl.

"Can you hear me?" Tifa tried to wake her, but the mysterious stranger remained unresponsive. Something about the girl's face was familiar, but Tifa couldn't place it. She would have to think about that later.

She knew Cloud wasn't going to like this; he rarely liked the idea of bringing strangers home. With everything he had been through, Tifa understood his reluctance to trust people. He would have to understand, though. This girl was injured and helpless. He would do the same, and he would expect Tifa to accept his decision. If he could do it, so could she.

* * *

Cloud wiped his forehead with the sweat rag as he took a moment to appreciate his own handiwork. Tifa had left earlier that morning and asked him if he wouldn't mind setting up the new wine cooler she had bought to accommodate the new delivery of supplies she was picking up. It was quite a task to practically rearrange the entire garage to ensure there was space for the two massive coolers, plus the wine rack and the shelf for the rest of the bar supplies. Thankfully, Barret and Cid had helped him expand the garage a couple months back, making sure Tifa had room for her business, and Cloud still had room for his tools and work space for Fenrir and other pet projects.

Finally, things had quieted down after all the chaos and the blond warrior could finally move on with his life instead of constantly worrying if the world needed saving every other month. He swore, it was like Gaia had PMS or something. He couldn't hide the small smirk at that thought. It would have earned him a good smack on the shoulder from Aerith.

He took a swig from his coffee mug before rolling his shoulders and prepared to get back to work. Now that the new appliances and furniture were in their proper place he could start putting everything else back. He was five minutes into the task when the kids came outside.

"Need any help, Cloud?" asked Marlene, the ever-helpful sweetheart that she was.

"I'm good, thanks," he replied, figuring by the look on Denzel's face that the kids were about to head out somewhere. He wasn't gonna stop them and force them to help.

"We're headed downtown towards the new arcade they opened," the boy offered.

Cloud nodded as he lifted another box full of oddball stuff. "Just remember to stick close together."

"We will," Marlene promised with a smile as the kids took off.

"And be back in three hours to help Tifa," he called after them, but he was unsure if the excited duo even heard him. Oh well, he figured they were only young once. Better they enjoy themselves now. They especially deserved it after everything that had happened. Well, that was being selfish of him. All of the local kids had suffered in some way over the past few years.

From Kadaj and his gang, to GeoStigma, Sephiroth's return and the whole Deepground event, and then Meteor before all of that. Everyone had suffered for the last few years, but they also endured. Cloud's friends had gone well above and beyond to help get everyone back on their feet. They had their faults too, and could be a pain at times, mainly Yuffie, but he wouldn't trade them for the world, especially Tifa.

Not only had she known him since they were kids, but she was his rock. The anchor that kept him bolted down to reality. She had been right by his side when they marched into hell, and she was there to piece him back together. He wanted to tell her just how much she meant to him, but he wasn't sure if she felt the same. Sure, she was caring and showed him affection, but she did that for everyone. She might have felt something for him once, but he was afraid he had made her wait too long and she had given up on him and was just content to be roommates. He walked over to his workshop and opened one of the drawers, pulling out a small velvet box. He blew off the sawdust and wiped it off with a dry rag and was about to open it when he heard the sound of Barret's engine pull up and cut off.

Cloud blinked and turned his head before he heard Tifa's voice call out for his help. He shoved the box in his pocket and rushed out to meet her. First Tsurugi was stashed safely in Fenrir, but he didn't need his sword to dish out punishment if he needed to. Anything in Cloud Strife's hands was a deadly weapon.

"What's wrong," he asked as he hurried around the corner, only to see Tifa trying to help a girl out of the truck. The girl was out cold, and injured, from a quick glance. Cloud approached the two and relieved Tifa of the burden, allowing the brawling bar maiden to rush inside and grab the first aid kit. Cloud carried her through the open doorway and set her down on the couch. He didn't like the sweat that was coating her forehead and the side of her face, so he felt her head.

"Tifa, check for an infection; she's got a fever." He would have, but there were some things he wasn't good at, not to mention Tifa seemed to have that special touch with healing magic. He wasn't really bothered by it. He was unanimously voted the best swordsman of the group, so that was fine.

"Help me get this cloak off," Tifa told him. He carefully slid his arm under her back and lifted her to a sitting position while Tifa pulled the cloak from beneath the unconscious woman. As she handed it to him, Cloud could see the wounds on her left calf muscle and her upper right thigh, clearly the work of guard hounds. That explained the infection.

"What happened?" Cloud probed. He needed to know if this happened in the area and, more importantly, if the threat still existed.

Tifa flung the cap off of a bottle, pouring its contents onto a bandage. She leaned in closer to the girl.

"This may sting," Tifa whispered to her.

Placing the soaked cloth on the girl's wound only elicited a soft moan from her.

"I found her in the wastes," Tifa explained as she worked, "running from a pack of guard hounds."

Okay, so no threat near the city. Running from guard hounds, in the wastes? He looked down at the girl again, noticing she didn't have any shoes. What was she wearing? It looked sort of like one of those smocks you wear at a medical facility. What was she doing in the wastes? There were too many questions and not enough answers. Just as he was starting to enjoy the peace, something popped up, _like always._

"Hand me a potion, please?" Tifa requested, holding out her hand. Placing the small vial in her palm, he turned his attention back to the stranger. Aside from the way she was dressed, there was something about her features that seemed...familiar. Pale skin...long silver hair... _long silver hair?_...His stomach lurched uncomfortably as his former nemesis popped into his mind. He studied her face carefully, comparing it to the image in his mind.

"Where's Marlene?" Tifa asked him, pouring small bits of the potion into the stranger's mouth.

"She and Denzel went to the new arcade downtown," Cloud explained, unable to stop staring at the girl.

"Probably for the best," Tifa set the vial down and began dressing the wounds.

Just as Tifa finished with the second dressing, the woman's eyes snapped open, and a sharp gasp escaped her as she abruptly sat up. Cloud didn't have time to register the intense luminosity of her eyes before a vision appeared in his mind. Denzel protectively stood in front of Marlene, backing her away from the advancing tonberry.

" _Marlene, stay behind me!_ " he bravely yelled, holding out the small dagger Cloud had given him.

The tonberry continued to slowly advance...they were trapped! As the vision faded, he watched the girl pass out again.

"Tifa! They're in trouble!" Cloud didn't wait for her to follow him. Denzel and Marlene needed him, but he didn't know if he could get there in time. He heard Tifa's footsteps behind him as he ran at his top speed towards the alley. He _**had**_ to make it! He couldn't fail! He _**wouldn't**_ fail! Not again!

Five blocks later, he rounded the corner, the adrenaline surged through him the moment he saw Denzel on the ground, blood gushing out from his chest, a sobbing, terrified Marlene trying desperately to staunch the bleeding with her hands and refusing to leave Denzel's side. The tonberry stood right next to her, it's eyes flashing bright red as it raised the knife for that final deadly thrust.

"It's a master!" Tifa yelled to Cloud, arriving only a few steps after him. "What's a master doing here?"

"Doesn't matter!" Cloud hollered back, leaping in between Marlene and the tonberry, "Check the kids!"

Tackling the tonberry to push it away from the kids, Cloud instinctively reached for his sword, only then realizing it was still securely locked in Fenrir. A glint of metal on the ground caught his eye, and in that instant, he realized it was the dagger that Denzel had tried to wield. Just as he managed to scoop it up, the tonberry shook its lantern at him, and an intense agony ripped through his body, causing him to fall to one knee as a roaring static tore through his mind, forcing him to lose focus.

"Cloud!" Tifa screamed, dashing to his side to release a series of blows on the creature. Stumbling to his feet, the blond focused on the materia in his bangle, covering the agile little thing with a dark green membrane of poison. He glanced back at the kids to check on them, and the amount of blood pooling around them indicated that Denzel only had precious few moments left. Adrenaline exploded through him again, giving him the strength to stand and attack. With a strength that earned him the title of _'The Planet's Champion',_ Cloud drove the dagger down into the top of the tonberry's head, twisting the blade until he was certain it would never move again.

"He's...he's not...breathing!" Marlene cried, panic ringing clear through her tears.

"Tifa, take Marlene," Cloud instructed, keeping his voice as calm as possible. He delicately lifted the boy into his arms, rushing him back to the bar.

"Hang on, Denzel," he told the unconscious child. Once at 7th Heaven, Tifa hurriedly swept everything off the table near the couch, where the resting girl lay, and Cloud set Denzel on it. Fumbling inside his pack, he withdrew a phoenix down, placing it on the boy's chest while Tifa administered a hyper potion. He stared at the fiery bird's feather, willing it to do something, but it just sat there. Tifa, unable to control her own tears, pulled an almost hysterical Marlene into her arms.

Cloud simply backed away, his thoughts blurring together in a jumble of regret and hurt. His most painful memories flashed before his eyes, as if to torment him for his failure. Zack, bleeding and gasping for air...Aerith, impaled by Masamune...his mother, her skin blackened by soot...and now Denzel?...who thought of Cloud as his hero...whom he saved, took in, and raised...for what? To die anyway? All because he was too late to do anything. He felt his back against the wall as he stared at Denzel, he was dead and it was all Cloud's fault. He should have made them stay, should have accepted Marlene's offer to help. Now Denzel was dead and it was all his fault…

Suddenly, the girl Tifa had treated earlier sat up with a grunt as she opened her eyes. Cloud looked over at her, numb...empty. He could see tears streaming down her cheeks as she stared down at the boy. Placing a hand over his wound, a brilliant flare of cyan light filled the room, a light that felt like it seared into his eyes. He raised his hand in an attempt to shield his face.

It took a moment when the light vanished for Cloud's eyes to readjust, but when they did, his mouth fell open. Denzel was sitting up, his expression betraying his disorientation. He was alive! Cloud moved himself towards the table, placing a hand on Denzel's shoulder. Was he seeing things? No, Denzel was moving...breathing...completely fine! The kid shifted his eyes to look up at Cloud.

"I'm sorry, Cloud," he apologized, a hint of regret in his tone. "I tried to protect Marlene," he lowered his head in shame as he failed to hold back the tears of guilt, "but I wasn't strong enough."

Gaia, he sounded just like Cloud. The boy looked so defeated and his voice quivered with the guilt. The warrior pulled Denzel into a tight hug, stunning all those around him.

"You did exactly what a hero is supposed to do," Cloud told Denzel firmly, briefly thinking it was a lot like what Zack had done for him.

Denzel pulled out of the hug to look up at the strange girl on the couch. She smiled at him, and then without any warning whatsoever, her eyes rolled back, her body collapsing back down.

"Denzel!" Marlene exclaimed, running to him and embracing him. Tifa slowly followed, still stunned.

Cloud simply focused on the girl, concerned for her odd ailment but also for her strange abilities. Her appearance also had him on edge, but only because he wasn't sure how to feel. She looked so much like Sephiroth it was uncanny, yet her actions had been noble, and the look she gave Denzel...it was exuding relief and warmth, not malice or deviance. Just who was this girl?


	2. Angel

- **ANGEL** -

 _ **Mother?**_

 _Yes, my child._

 _ **Am I bad?**_

 _No, you are not bad._

 _ **I think I did something bad.**_

 _What is it that you did?_

 _ **I made the creatures upset today.**_

 _Why are they upset?_

 _ **I did what they asked me to do, and it made one of them cease to live.**_

 _They are often unaware of their fragility._

 _ **So it was their mistake and not mine?**_

 _Yes, my child._

 _ **They did something bad to me...they called it punishment.**_

 _What did they do?_

 _ **They hurt me.**_

 _Then hurt them back._

* * *

Tifa sat by the couch, dabbing at the mystery girl's forehead with a damp, cool cloth. She had kept the lights dim in the room so that the woman could rest more easily. At least the fever had broken this morning, but she still hadn't awakened. No trace of the hound bites or any lingering infection remained, so Tifa could only guess that bringing someone back from the dead had taken a heavy toll on the poor girl. How had her wounds healed so quickly?

The shock of the incident still weighed heavily on Tifa. While it was true that Denzel wouldn't be alive if not for this stranger's abilities, the fact that this girl had the ability to revive the dead was a bit unsettling. It also hadn't been lost on the brunette barmaid that the girl's eyes had been glowing, reminding her of Cloud's eyes...and Sephiroth's eyes. And if this woman could bring the dead back to life, what other abilities did she possess?

"Tifa?" Denzel's voice sounded behind her. Tifa turned to face the child, tilting her head.

"How are you feeling, Denzel?"

"I'm fine." he replied, closing the distance between them. "Is she still sleeping?"

"Mmhmm," she nodded.

The pre-teen considered this information briefly, before speaking up again. "I wanna be here when she wakes up."

"Oh, I don't know, Denzel,"

"Please?" he begged. "I wanna thank her...she...she saved my life."

Tifa stared at him, considering. How much did he know? Up until that moment, she figured Denzel would simply realize that someone had healed him...assumed that he wasn't aware of just how close to death he had been.

"How do you know she saved your life?" Tifa asked him.

He took a shaky breath in. "I was trying to protect Marlene from that...monster. I thought I could handle it...it was so small, you know?"

Tifa nodded, listening to him.

"Anyway, it...it stabbed me...and I fell down...it was hard to breathe... Everything around me got really bright. Then, it was...calm and...quiet. I felt like I was..swimming..I could hear you and Cloud...but it was really far away. I couldn't see you."

Tifa watched him, quietly marveling at such strength for his age.

"I tried to find you and Cloud, but...the green water was so nice...and warm...I started sinking into it. And then, she was there..."

"Who was there?" Tifa questioned.

Denzel pointed to the sleeping girl on the couch. "She said that he didn't want me to die. She...took my hand and told me not to be scared...that she was bringing me back to him. And then she pulled me out of the water...and then I woke up."

Tifa blinked, astonished. It almost sounded like this girl had pulled him out of the Lifestream.

"Is she an angel?" The question was so innocent and naive, but after hearing the boy's story, it sounded ridiculously viable. Tifa couldn't think of an appropriate answer, so she just smiled at him.

Tifa's peripheral vision picked up movement from the doorway.

"How's she doing?" came the blond's voice.

"Fever broke this morning," Tifa informed him as he crossed the room to stand behind her. "Where's Marlene?"

"Going through your closet," he responded.

"My closet?"

"She wanted to find something for the girl to wear."

 _Good thinking, Marlene_ , thought Tifa.

"Denzel, can you go get some fresh water and a new cloth?" Tifa requested, and the boy was only too happy to comply. Carefully, he lifted the small basin and carried it away, leaving the two adults to talk.

"Did you hear-?"

"Yea," Cloud interrupted. "I don't know what to make of it."

Tifa watched the warrior, who looked down at the unconscious woman with an odd expression. Something about it completely unnerved her; it wasn't the usual hardened, withdrawn visage she normally saw. Somehow, it was softer, with a bit of confusion mixed in.

The sound of a sharp gasp drew their attention and startled Tifa as she saw the girl sit straight up, and her bright, glowing eyes were wildly darting about the room. A few frightened screeches burst out of her, the panic quite obvious.

"Hey, hey...easy," Tifa tried to calm her down, "It's all right! No one is going to hurt you. You're okay."

It took a few moments, but the girl finally seemed to settle down, switching her frightened gaze back and forth between Cloud and Tifa. Gradually, her eyes began to diminish in luminosity as the fear slowly vanished.

"...Oh...kay?" the girl repeated.

"Yes, you're safe." Tifa answered.

Was she going to say anything? Apparently not. She just sat there, staring at them.

"What's your name?" Tifa tried to get her to say something.

There was a pause. "Name?" The girl looked confused. Tifa glanced at Cloud, who just shrugged in that "I don't know, either" gesture.

"My name is Tifa," the barmaid introduced, pointing to herself. Recognition lit up in the girl's face, yet she shook her head.

"No name," she said.

"No name?"

The girl shook her head again, sending locks of silver hair flying around her face.

"Okay," Tifa sneaked a peek at Cloud, who was just as confounded as she was. She pointed to the blond, "And this is-"

"Cloud.," the girl interrupted, staring at him. How did she know his name?

"Uh...yea," Tifa took a breath, trying to hide her growing apprehension. Pushing it aside, Tifa asked her, "So you don't have a name?"

Again, the girl shook her head, though she lowered her eyes as if she were embarrassed. She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms about them.

"Your mother never named you?" Tifa persisted.

The girl visibly shuddered, and fear shadowed her face. Looking back at Cloud, she simply answered, "No."

"What were you doing in the wastes?" Cloud interjected his own question. Mystery woman kept her stare focused on Cloud.

"Running."

"From what?" Tifa recognized the mild annoyance in Cloud's voice.

The girl considered this question for a few moments before responding. "Danger."

Cloud sighed, clearly exasperated with the lack of answers. Tifa had to admit that the stranger's replies were extremely vague, and she wasn't quite sure if it was purposeful evasion or ignorant communication.

"Why were you in the wastes?" Tifa tried to clarify. Once again, there was a pause.

"Escape," she finally revealed.

The woman looked like she was trying to say so much more but was failing. It seemed to frustrate her, too, because she lifted her hand to her forehead, squinting her eyes.

"She doesn't have a name?" Denzel, who had returned with the water, spoke up. At the sound of his voice, the girl seemed to brighten. As the boy set the water on the table next to the couch, she gently took his hand.

"Okay?" she asked him.

"I'm fine," he grinned at her, the adoration shining through, "thanks to you."

Tifa warmed at the interaction between them. The woman demonstrated that she cared about Denzel, and that spoke very highly of her, in Tifa's opinion.

"So you don't have a name?" Denzel repeated, "I can give you a name."

Tifa was not prepared for the overwhelmingly touched look on the girl's face, her light green eyes glistening with tears.

"A name?" she gasped and then nodded.

"I'll call you Angel." the boy announced, his smile broadening.

The girl suddenly embraced him, whispering, "Thank you."

* * *

Cloud had taken the chance while Denzel spoke with her to back out of the room and retreat to the kitchen. Her lack of speech had irritated him somewhat, but it was more than that. He couldn't quite place it, but it felt like something was slithering through his emotions, as if these shifts weren't his own doing. It was just like with the remnants where it was so easy for them to confuse him and irritate him, though this girl's approach was far different. At least she wasn't calling him brother. Then again, she didn't say much, so it could be just a matter of time.

At the same time, though, while being near the girl seemed to bother him like a stubborn insect that wouldn't leave him alone, he felt an odd kinship with her. The words 'danger' and 'escape' and the fear those words were laced with struck a deep forgotten nerve he had, and he didn't know why. Could she have been in a similar circumstance he had years ago? Gaia, he hoped not. No one deserved that kind of torture. It made him stop and rethink how he felt about her, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt guilty for feeling so irritated.

He blinked, suddenly surprised as someone poked his forehead, and his eyes focused on Marlene. She was sitting across from him…when had he sat down? Had he really been that lost in thought?

"I thought it was impossible to sneak up on you," she teased with a smile.

Cloud returned it as she earned a rare chuckle from him. "You're one of the only few who can." And it was true. The girl was so smart for her age, and her ability to see the root of most problems that the adults missed was remarkable. She had helped him see the obvious so many times, and it especially helped during the incident with the remnants.

"Are you worried she might be like those other men, the ones who kidnapped me?"

The small smile vanished as she managed to pinpoint one of his worries. "Yeah, a bit, but she seems different from them."

Marlene nodded, remembering the time when Loz had taken her to the ancient's forest. "Yeah, the one who grabbed me acted like it was all a big game, and he talked like he was younger than me. The one with the longer hair was creepy. He kept giving me these looks that gave me goose bumps, like he had some sneaky evil plan in mind, but he instead would keep making fun of the other one and made him cry a lot. The leader was the scariest one. He never paid me much attention, but he always knew what I was doing. I tried to sneak away on my own, while he was looking through your materia, but he knew what I was doing and struck a tree down, cutting off my escape."

Cloud felt bad for her, having to go through that. Even if he had come for them eventually, he still kicked himself, even now, for wanting to run and leave the rescue to Reno and Rude. Tifa had been dead right as usual. He had been afraid of failing more people that counted on him. It was different now. He still carried the guilt,...always would...but he had learned to forgive himself. That falling rain that raced down from the sky from Aerith after Sephiroth's last defeat had cleansed him of that heavy burden he had carried for so long, and that immense weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

Looking back at Marlene he offered her another reassuring smile. He knew how he had to handle this situation now, and once again, he had Marlene's wonderful common sense to thank for it.

He placed a gentle hand on her head, "Even though you were scared then, you still helped. You gave me the chance I needed that night." And she had. Kadaj's sword was mere inches from his throat, and he wasn't able to reach his weapon. But Marlene shouting his name distracted Kadaj enough for Cloud to seize his chance. She had saved his life, and he often wondered if she ever realized it. He'd tell her one day, if she hadn't figured it out by then. "She does remind me of them, but she's not the same. The others didn't have a shred of pity, remorse or compassion. But she's different. She saved Denzel, and she's the reason we knew you were in trouble in the first place."

Marlene blinked in surprise, and Cloud shook his head. "I don't know what her situation is, other than she's scared, unsure and she can't speak very well. But maybe, if we help her she might be able to give us some clues about where she came from, even if it takes time. Would you like to help me?"

Marlene smiled and nodded. "You bet! I can start by taking this to her." She held up the outfit she had picked out from Tifa's closet.

Cloud nodded his approval. "Sounds good; let's go."

* * *

It was a little after eight in the morning. Tifa had taken the kids to school after the morning's events when the girl finally woke up, and Denzel had given her a name. It suited her well; at least she seemed to like it. Cloud would have taken the kids to school on Fenrir, but it wouldn't look good if the boy was seen riding a motorcycle and then trying to explain to the kid's teacher that he should take it easy after suffering an injury, regardless of how skilled a rider Cloud was. Besides, Tifa was much more skilled at talking to people.

He needed to head out on patrol soon, along with delivering a few packages to the city of Kalm and to the chocobo farm. The reason why he was still home was because the girl...Angel...he really needed to start referring to her by her name now...was still sitting on the couch where she had woken up and was blinking like an innocent, curious child, unsure of what to do, and she probably didn't if her lack of vocabulary was anything to go by. She probably hadn't really been in a homely setting before. Cloud wasn't even sure how to talk to or approach her, if he was being honest. He wanted to thank her for saving Denzel, of course, but he always had trouble showing gratitude.

A strange sound drew his attention back to the girl, and she, in turn, looked down at her middle with pure confusion.

Cloud heard it again and relaxed, knowing what the issue was, even if the girl didn't seem to realize. She had probably never been left alone long enough to feel hungry or understand what it means, if his suspicions about her origins were right. "Are you hungry?"

"Hungry?" she parroted, not sure of the word's meaning.

The growling continued, and she looked down at her stomach with annoyance.

"I know how to make it stop," he replied.

"Thank you," she replied.

He carefully made his way towards her, trying not to scare her. "Are you able to walk on your own?"

Angel carefully lowered her feet onto the carpet and then slowly stood. She was shaky, but she managed to take a few steps, closing the gap between them. Cloud nodded and turned for the kitchen. "This way."

She followed as he headed for the fridge and looked for something he could make a quick and easy meal with. He wasn't a great cook, but his food wasn't bad either, at least according to the kids. He found the perfect thing to make and pulled it out of the fridge before looking for the frying pan.

"Ever have eggs?"

Angel shook her head.

"Are…they good?" she asked slowly.

He didn't know why her question made him smirk, but he took it as a good sign, putting a little vegetable oil in the pan to help prevent the eggs from sticking. A useful trick Tifa had taught him, and reminded him… _at least six times._

He waited for the pan to heat up enough, cracking the egg on the side and splitting it open. Angel watched the yolk and membrane fill the pan and was amazed when it turned from clear to a thick white color.

She reached her hand in to touch it when Cloud noticed and grabbed her hand. "No!"

His heart nearly broke when she flinched and shut her eyes, as if expecting him to hit her, and it hurt even more when he felt her jump with fright.

"I'm sorry…but that's hot. You'll get burned. We're trying to help you, not give you more injuries."

She looked up, timidly at his sincere eyes and slowly nodded. "Sorry."

He shook his head. "You didn't know."

Angel then turned until her back was to him and sat down on her legs before leaning forward.

"Punishment…" The way she said it revealed that it was something she expected, like it came second nature to her.

Cloud's eyes widened as his protective nature kicked in, and he knelt down, turning her to face him. Her face betrayed her fear, and she began trembling uncontrollably. Tears emerged from her large eyes, rolling freely down her cheeks.

Cloud saw them and eased his grip. He hadn't meant to come off so strongly, but it bothered him more than he'd liked to admit to see how tortured she seemed. This was a result of cruelty and not just any kind; it felt familiar. And then it struck. His foggy memories cleared a bit, just enough to give him a glimpse of his own hell years ago…

 _Floating in a tank of liquid mako, he glanced over at the tank next to his, hoping his vision would focus enough to see his friend. It got harder and harder each day and he forgot more and more. Who was he? Why was he here? Why was the man in the white coat so cruel and merciless? How long had he been stuck there? Had he always been there? Was Zack okay? Wait, who was Zack? He could only think of one connection: Brother?_

It all made sense for Cloud in that moment. This girl...she was someone's escaped experiment, someone kept locked up for Gaia knows how long and tortured. The blond gave her the most honest, sincere and determined look he could offer. He didn't know where she had come from, or how she came to be, but he would do what he could to help her and keep her safe.

"You will **never** be punished again. I promise."

She just stared at him, astonished. She leaned forward into him, resting her forehead against his chest before she gave into her tears and cried.

The action surprised Cloud, but he knew she needed to feel safe, so he wrapped her in a gentle hug.

She uttered a single, shaky whisper: "Promise..."

After a couple moments, Cloud carefully pulled away and blinked at her, his expression was apologetic. "Um, the eggs...they're starting to burn."

Angel nodded as he stood and helped her up. She looked over at the table and then back at him. "May I?"

Cloud caught on and gave her a pointed look. "You don't need to ask permission to sit down."

She looked away and sat down. Cloud sighed and shook his head. This was going to be one heck of a time. He could feel the winds of change blowing, and they felt ripe with bad luck.

His prediction came true as he grabbed a plate and set the eggs on it just as Tifa came in. She saw the girl sitting at the table, looking hungry and ashamed and Cloud with a meal on his favorite plate. She gave him a stern look. "Cloud Vaskr Strife! How dare you eat a meal and force the poor girl to watch!"

Cloud gave her an injured look as if she had just struck him in the heart. " _Teef_ , you promised you'd never use my middle name."

Tifa just glared at him. "Yes, except when you do something that warrants me to. Did you stop to think she may want something to eat?"

"This _**is**_ for her," he replied as he set the plate in front of Angel and offered her some utensils.

"Oh," Tifa blinked sheepishly, having jumped the gun. "Sorry. I guess I'm still stressed from the school visit."

"That bad?" asked the blond.

"The worst," she replied, and Angel stared with intense fascination as she watched the two work around each other in perfect sync. Cloud put dishes away and rinsed out the dirty pan he used. Tifa pulled out two mugs for coffee. "That teacher gave me a lecture like the world was coming to an end."

"Like we've never faced that before," Cloud joked.

Tifa smirked at the truth in those words. "He said we may be heroes, but that doesn't mean we get to throw ourselves into danger at every turn if we're the guardians over innocent children. He made it seem like Denzel was an incapable toddler. He talked like he believed the kid was helpless and unable to think for himself."

"The nerve of some people. Maybe next time a meteor threatens to crash on their heads we'll go take a vacation to Costa Del Sol and watch the show from a safe distance?"

Tifa chuckled at the horrible joke and gently smacked his shoulder.

"Kidding," he replied in reaction to the slap.

He glanced over his shoulder at Angel, who was just watching them with a small smile. "So how are the eggs?"

The girl blinked, as if remembering she had food in front of her and studied how to use the utensils before she figured it out and took a small test bite. Her eyes grew comically wide, and Cloud swore they sparkled as she cut a bigger piece and took a big mouthful before chewing. "Mmmmmm"

He then turned back and nudged Tifa's arm before offering a hand gesture over the sink, which was one he used when they had gone out on missions. It was the one to signify that they turn the corner and strike, but Cloud was trying to say they needed to speak alone, without Angel thinking they were just up and leaving. Apparently, the message was received because she subtly nodded to him. He held up two fingers, signifying for her to wait two counts. He dried his hands and turned to leave.

Angel watched him head out, and she smiled as she held up her current bite and nodded her head. "Good! Thank you!"

He smirked and nodded. "You're welcome." He then vanished through the doorway.

Tifa finished putting the dishes away before looking at the clock. "Better get the laundry started now." With that she left the room, only to poke her head back around the corner. "I'll be right back; I'm just going to do a few chores."

Tifa did get the clothes and headed to the wash room where Cloud was waiting. "What happened?"

Cloud looked at the wall, as if he could see through it to where Angel was still eating before looking down. "I think she escaped from a lab somewhere."

"Tell me what happened." she encouraged him, her expression one of understanding.

He relayed the events of Angel's discovery of breakfast and how she expected punishment. "You don't think whoever had her will come looking for her, do you?" she asked, worriedly.

"Hojo sent swarms of goons to hunt me and Zack down after we escaped the mansion. I don't think anyone would give up on their…work...so easily." Memories swarmed in his mind of his time at the mansion, and he attempted to refocus on the current discussion. "But I promised we'd keep her safe. I can't explain it, there's just something about her that's different."

"Different how," Tifa asked with a suspicious lifted eyebrow.

"I don't know, and that's what confuses me."

Tifa nodded. "Well, I'll take care of her while you're gone. Just try to make it back early tonight."

"Try is all I can promise," he replied as he headed out.

Tifa rolled her eyes with a smile and continued with the laundry.

Cloud headed into his room to change into his battle/traveling clothes. They were perfect for taking down monsters and looking cool, but at home he'd adopted a more laid back style. Camo pants or loose jeans with a black or light colored T-shirt mostly. When he headed downstairs to check on Angel before he left, he saw that she had finished her meal and had even washed her plate.

She saw that he had changed and tilted her head with a slight frown growing.

"I'll be back later. Tifa's gonna be here if you need anything, okay?"

He turned to leave and had his hand on the doorknob leading to the garage when he felt something pulling his battle skirt. He turned to see Angel grabbing it tightly and looking at him with sad, pleading eyes. "No go...?"

Cloud sighed, feeling bad for having to let her down. "I have to go, but I'll be back tonight. I have a job that I have to do, and people are counting on me."

She seemed to think it over, while still not letting go. "A…promise?"

Cloud smirked slightly at that. "Yeah, kind of. A job is a lot like a promise, but I also need to make sure there aren't any more monsters running around. Like the ones that attacked you and the kids."

Angel thought about that before she slowly let go, and, although she didn't look happy about it, it seemed she understood.

"Be…" She paused, seemingly searching for words, "…not hurt."

He smirked at her and nodded. "I'll be careful."

"Careful," she repeated the word, testing it out and he nodded.

With that he headed out the door, checking that everything was set before he opened the large sliding door, and Fenrir growled to life. The mechanical beast roared as it launched out of the garage and thundered down the street out of sight, the door closing on its own from the timer.

Once he was out on the road, Cloud couldn't help but ponder over Angel's possible origins. How aware of it was she, and what had they created her for? It was clear she had enough mako coursing through her to choke a moogle, maybe even levels similar to his own, even though that was very dangerous territory. As much as Cloud eternally hated Hojo with a passion the man was brilliant and was a master at chemistry, ensuring the components in his formulas were perfect before testing them out.

Cloud pulled up to a stop light and growled with irritation from the feelings those thoughts were bringing up. He touched the ribbon on his left arm to calm him. It was his best connection to Aerith, and it worked wonders. Not just as a protector against status effects such as poison and sleep, but it had an amazing calming effect when the past troubled him.

* * *

 _Author's Note: For those who are curious, Vaskr is a viking word meaning: brave, bold, gallant or valiant. This is a middle name I've given him, it's not official._


	3. Cupcakes

_Screwygirl: Mmmmmm...Cupcakes._

 _Shade The Hero: Sorry if we made anyone hungry. xD_

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

- **CUPCAKES** -

 _ **I am unhappy, Mother.**_

 _Tell me why._

 _ **These creatures around me.**_

 _They are called humans._

 _ **They tell me to do things, and then they are afraid when I comply.**_

 _It is in their nature to be fearful of what they cannot understand._

 _ **They are afraid of me?**_

 _Yes, my child. You are the heart of their fear._

 _ **How can I make them unafraid?**_

 _You cannot...and you should not._

 _ **Why not?**_

 _Their fear gives you power over them._

 _ **Power...**_

* * *

A few blocks away from where Fenrir sat at a traffic light, a mother was taking her daughter home from a doctor's appointment. The little girl stopped when she saw something floating at the corner of a building. "Lookit mama, a balloon! You said if I was good I could get something, can I get this?"

The woman blinked at the thing, her maternal instinct kicking in, but the daughter acted before she could reply, grabbing one of the loose flapping ribbons attached to it. The _balloon,_ which had white ribbons and a large orange head with a goofy face, turned, and its face flashed with an eerie light before it attacked. The mother grabbed the little one as they both screamed. Several more appeared out of back allies and garbage dumpsters, causing people to panic as the creatures let loose with status attacks to immobilize them.

In the confusion, a man stumbled and dropped his wallet on top of a grate. Thankful he hadn't lost it to the sewers, he bent down to pick it up. A nasty stench reached his nose, and he gagged, covering his mouth with the back of his wrist. His eyes widened when he saw the source of the smell, and he screamed.

As the light turned green, Cloud was about to rev up the bike to go when he heard panicked cries for help. He started to see the crowd as they ran into the streets, trying to get away from something. The blond cursed his rotten luck and turned his bike towards the commotion, preparing to exterminate the pest. He had his best weapon this time. There was nothing he couldn't take out. A bunch of dorky faces and a giant Marlboro, however, was something he wasn't expecting.

The Marlboro had its slimy back to him as he raced up. He wanted to take out the dorky faces first, knowing they'd be the bigger headache in the long run, and so he launched his bike into the air, landing on the giant monster's back and riding up, causing the beast to be confused and making his presence known. Cloud frowned in disgust, knowing it was going to be a pain washing that gunk off his beloved Fenrir, later. As he flew off the monster's head, he crashed right on a group of dorky faces, killing them and snapping a group of construction workers out of the monster-induced confusion effect.

He hit the trigger that allowed the bike's hidden compartments to spring open, allowing Cloud to assemble his Fusion Sword, and he went to work taking care of the rest of the faces that were running amuck.

One of the dorky faces swooped in from above and sprayed him with its mist to confuse him, but the sword came zipping out and stabbed it right in the middle of his head. Cloud's eyes glowed with battle light as he glared at the creature. "Nice try." He pulled the sword free, and the monster faded.

He had taken care of most of the stragglers; now, it was time to take care of the bigger problem: the twenty-foot stink weed. It was clear the plant monster wasn't used to the bustling city streets as it kept bumping into cars, lamp posts and corners of buildings. Cloud would exploit that advantage to its fullest. The problem was damage control and keeping the people safe.

He knew the monster's attack pattern, knowing the moment he struck, the thing would let loose with a mouth-full of its fowl stench, and if he wasn't careful it would spawn more grotesque mini versions...weaker but just as annoying.

He ran out of time to plan his next move as a group of kids had been scared out of their hiding place by some extra dorky faces he hadn't seen until now. The Marlboro honed in on them and lashed out with its tentacles, its jaws opening wide, preparing to unleash its noxious breath.

Two boys screamed until a flash of silver caught their eye, and Cloud was suddenly soaring over them like a warrior chocobo in mid flight. He sliced the creature in an upwards arc through the center of its face, forcing it to turn away as it let out a cry of pain. Cloud stood between the monster and the kids, with his sword turned to defend.

"It's Cloud!" one of the kids shouted and he looked over his shoulder at them. "Get outta here! Head for a hospital."

The kid nodded and the others ran away from the area, trying to reach the hospital that was about four blocks away. Ever since the oddities began, Cloud and Tifa had suggested to the city council that there should be designated shelter areas, one of which was the hospital.

Cloud waited for the kids to be at a safe distance before he lifted his sword and readied himself for the battle. After today he made a mental note to call Reeve and see if there was a way to determine why these creatures were popping up so far away from their natural habitats.

The monster turned its head as it let loose with a blast of green gas. Cloud leaped into the air. Normally, he'd unleash firaga and use the creature's own flammable gas to set itself ablaze, but there was a city filled with innocent people to consider. In the end, he opted for dual-wielding. If he didn't need materia to take down Bahamut SIN or Sephiroth then he didn't need it now.

He came down on the creature, aiming to expand the wound he had first inflicted on it, but the creature turned and struck him with one of its tentacles, sending him flying towards the side of a building. Cloud grabbed a lamp post before he could make contact with it and used the momentum to spin back around and come at the monster and struck it with a powerful stab. Cloud got an idea as he remembered the materia he had in his bracer: a mastered thunder; a powerful level three thundaga spell jolted through the creature as it screeched with pain.

It fell over as Cloud jumped back, flicking the gore from his blade. Suddenly, the creature jumped back up and launched a final attack at him, aiming to chomp him with its rows of razor sharp fangs. It never got the chance as a shuriken spun into Cloud's view and passed mere inches above his head before striking the monster, delivering the death blow. It began fading even before it hit the ground.

Yuffie appeared a second later with a winning smirk. "That was a close one, huh? Almost got rid of your famous spikes."

"You're a long way from home," Cloud remarked.

"I was in the neighborhood and wanted to swing by and check on my best buds," she replied.

"What'd you steal this time," he asked before more shouting echoed down the way.

"Guess we'll have to chat later," Yuffie commented to which Cloud nodded in agreement.

Together they made quick work of the remaining dorky faces and a few guard hounds that wanted in on the action, hoping to scavenge for weak prey. Once the duo was sure the monsters were either dead or effectively chased off they lowered the weapons and sighed with relief.

"Where's Tifa? Normally, she's been kicking monster butt with you," Yuffie remarked.

"She's busy back at the bar. You wouldn't mind helping her out while I finish my work for the day?"

Yuffie folded her arms and leaned in with a stern expression. "And what's in it for me?"

"I think Tifa was making her famous cupcakes later," he replied, knowing how much Yuffie adored Tifa's baked goodies. Plus he wanted some too, and having Yuffie beg for it was easier than asking for them himself.

"Well, okay, I guess I could help, but they better be my favorite, otherwise I'll charge you double next time."

She headed off in the direction of the bar, leaving Cloud to roll his eyes at her retreating form. Yuffie was one hell of a fighter, but she was a royal pain in the butt.

* * *

After doing the dishes, Tifa decided to take some time to get to know Angel. The things Cloud told her about the girl were, indeed, worrisome. She didn't want the kids to be put in any more danger, and having Angel here could just do that...but, she couldn't just toss the girl out with nowhere to go. The poor thing could barely function on her own.

Tifa sat at the table, where Angel was still seated.

"Did you like your eggs?" Tifa smiled at her, and Angel nodded. "Well, later on, I'm going to make cupcakes. Have you ever had cupcakes before?"

"No." she answered, shaking her head.

"Well, I think you'll like them," Tifa guessed.

"Are they good?" Angel asked.

"Cloud loves them," she answered, and then lowering her voice, "He'll never admit it, though."

The girl smiled and giggled, and at that moment, Tifa took notice of just how lovely this girl was, wondering if she should be worried. Angel seemed to have captured Cloud's protective nature, and he did say she was different. There was also that common bond of having both been the subject of experiments. He was certainly extremely dedicated to helping her, but then again, so was Tifa.

"Angel, Cloud thinks you escaped from a lab," Tifa began carefully. Instantly, the smile disappeared from her face. "Is that what happened?"

"Lab?" Angel questioned, clearly not understanding the word.

"A laboratory is a place where scientists do experiments," Tifa tried to explain. The word experiment seemed to register in a negative way. The fear in Angel's eyes made Tifa feel guilty for even bringing it up.

"Cage." Angel said. "Escape...cage."

Tifa's breath caught in her throat. "They kept you in a cage?"

Angel nodded, fidgeting slightly. Tifa felt so sorry for her, reaching her hand out to grasp the girl's. She remembered when they had rescued Aerith from Hojo...how he had referred to her and Red XIII as specimens and animals. The thought of it made Tifa's soul burn with indignation for Angel.

"Angel, you never have to go back there," Tifa reassured her.

Her expression brightened a bit. "Promise?"

"Promise."

The girl looked hopeful yet still a little guarded, like she was just waiting for something to go wrong...another thing in common with Cloud.

 _Oh, for heaven's sake, Tifa, stop it!_ _She's not going to steal Cloud!_ she scolded herself, trying to refocus her thoughts.

"Angel, did you always live in the lab?" Tifa asked her.

"Yes." Angel responded.

"Where are your parents?" Tifa questioned, thinking that maybe the girl might have family she didn't know about.

"Parents?"

"Your father and your mother."

Angel froze, her eyes wide with panic. She frantically shook her head.

"Mother...no good." With those words, she drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them, resting her chin behind them. "No mother...no mother...please, no mother..."

"Okay...it's okay, Angel," Tifa tried to calm her, but the fear was almost primal. "No mother."

So, Angel knew her mother...and what she knew of her mother, she feared. She made a mental note to give Cloud a call and warn him not to mention the word, Mother, though eventually, they might need to figure out who her mother was.

"Hey, Tifa!"

Was that Yuffie? Angel let out a startled yelp; it was obvious that mentioning her mother had set her on edge.

"Tifa? Was that you?" Yuffie called.

"In the kitchen, Yuffie." Tifa hollered to her.

"You would not believe," Yuffie kept talking as she walked through the house, "the monsters that Cloud helped me dispatch...I mean, _ **I**_ did most of the work, but he helped...and right at the end, I saved his a—Oh!"

Yuffie stopped, seeing Angel, who regarded the ninja with curiosity.

"Yuffie, this is Angel," Tifa introduced. "Angel, meet Yuffie Kisaragi."

"Nice to meet'cha," Yuffie chirped at her then looked back at Tifa, "Cloud said you needed some help and that you were gonna make cupcakes."

Tifa smirked. "Did he, now?"

"Nice to meet'cha," Angel repeated in almost the same tone, eliciting a giggle from Yuffie.

"Ha! I like her!" Yuffie laughed, then adopting a low but pushy tone, she added, "You _**are**_ making them, right?"

"Yes, I'm making them once the kids get home." Tifa smiled. "Angel, can you wait here. I'm going to have a few words with Yuffie in the other room."

"Yes...Tifa," she nodded, still sitting at the table and a little unsure of what to make of the Wutai princess. Tifa led her to the living room.

"I need someone to stay with her while I go get the kids." Tifa explained.

"Why? You don't trust her?" Yuffie eyed Tifa.

"It's not that...She doesn't know how to talk...or feed herself...or just about anything, right now." Tifa whispered, "Cloud thinks she escaped from a lab, and before you got here, she told me she lived in a cage."

"Woah."

"So will you stay with her?" Tifa asked.

"Sure." Yuffie agreed, "Maybe I can teach her a thing or two."

 _Oh, Gaia! Cloud, you have no idea what you've done!_ Tifa laughed inwardly, wondering just how many bad habits Yuffie could teach Angel in the time it took for her to go pick up the kids. She considered this for a moment...then decided she better hurry.

"Thanks, Yuffie," Tifa beamed, returning to the kitchen as Yuffie scampered behind her.

"Well, Angel," Yuffie announced, "looks like we get to spend some quality time together."

Angel glanced at Tifa then looked back at Yuffie. "Quality time?" Angel spoke carefully.

"Just go easy on her," Tifa instructed then spoke to Angel, "I need to go pick up Denzel and Marlene from school...you remember Denzel and Marlene, right?"

The girl's eyes were the size of saucers...she looked terrified. Tifa crouched down in front of her and met her huge eyes. "When I come back with Denzel and Marlene, we're all going to make cupcakes. Okay?"

Angel thought about it for a moment. "Okay." she finally agreed.

"Don't worry about us!" Yuffie called after her as she exited the house.

With all the monsters that had been showing up near and even within Edge, Tifa took Barret's truck to pick up the kids. It was a relatively short drive, but it gave her a little time to think about things.

The girl had escaped from a lab where they kept her in a cage. That, in itself, was horrible. Her ability to raise people from the dead would be a considered a treasure for scientists to study, something worth killing for, and to hell with the poor girl's feelings. She felt a scowl surface on her lips just thinking about it. Those terrible memories would most likely stay with Angel for the rest of her life.

But a there was a more terrifying thought: no scientist was going to simply let their prize experiment escape without a fight. That meant that people would most likely come looking for Angel, people who wouldn't hesitate to hurt the innocent to get what they want, and that could put the kids in danger. Cloud had told her that Hojo sent an army to retrieve him and Zack, so what will scientists do to posses the power over death? Tifa and Cloud couldn't always be there and even if they could...as amazingly skilled as Cloud was...he wasn't infallible. No, they would need help.

She pulled up in front of the school, seeing Denzel and Marlene right away. Then she saw the principle standing there with them, and she sighed, expecting another lecture about putting the kids in harm's way. Getting out of the truck, she approached the three of them, but as she neared them, she noticed the shiner on Denzel's eye. Her heart started beating harder.

"What happened?" she asked, waiting for an answer from any of the three.

"Denzel was fighting with an older boy, the principle explained, "It was off school property and after school hours, so I can't issue a punishment for it."

"Thank you, Carson," Tifa smiled weakly at the principle, "I'll take it from here. You two...in the truck."

The three of them climbed into the truck, and Tifa turned to face them.

"Talk to me," she said to Denzel.

"It's not a big deal," Denzel replied, not meeting her eyes.

"Denzel, fighting should only be as a last resort," she told him.

"I said it's not a big deal," he snapped, "Can we just go?"

Marlene looked back and forth between the two of them as they spoke.

"No, Denzel," Tifa said sternly, "Tell me what happened. Were you defending yourself?"

"No."

"Defending Cloud?"

"No!"

"Defending Marlene?"

"NO!"

"Then what was it?"

"I was defending you!" Denzel finally yelled.

That made her stop; for as long as she could remember, Denzel had always favored Cloud, his hero, over Tifa. She had accepted this because it was such a special bond between them, and they both deserved that kind of happiness. Sure, it stung a little, being the least favorite, but as long as Denzel was happy, Tifa was happy. But now...Denzel had been defending Tifa...not Cloud. She couldn't help but feel so...touched and delighted.

"Defending _me_?" she repeated, almost certain she had misheard.

"He called you a...a...a bad word! He said that Cloud didn't want you because you were...used." he reluctantly spilled the tale, "So I punched him."

The pre-teen looked up at her defiantly. "And I'd do it again!"

The miasma of emotions left her dizzy, but she didn't let that stop her from pulling him into a tight hug, which he returned with ferocity. So many things about this story disturbed her, and she didn't know how to sort them out. People had often assumed that her curvy figure and promiscuity went hand in hand, but this boy...whoever he was...thought that Cloud didn't want her. That bothered her more than the insult. And the kids...the kids were feeling the need to defend her honor.

Another thing that bothered her was how to tell Cloud about this. He had always been protective of her and had even joined SOLDIER for the sole purpose of coming to her rescue. She was almost... **almost**...certain he wouldn't confront the kid, in question. What she did worry about was that the direction of the comments made might put too much pressure on Cloud, and she didn't want to push him away. Even if he didn't love her the way she wanted him to, at least she got to live with him, laugh with him, fight with him...be with him.

"Okay, Denzel," Tifa soothed him as he wept into her arms. "It's okay."

She waited until she thought he was done with his tears and then carefully pulled back to look at him.

"Let's go home. You and me and Marlene and Angel...and Yuffie...can make some cupcakes." she smiled at him.

"Yuffie's there?" his eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Yep," Tifa nodded. "Come on." She lowered her voice as much as she could. "Let's mosey."

The kids and Tifa descended into giggles as she started the truck to head home.

* * *

Walking. That was all he knew and all he could manage to do. He tried to focus, but he couldn't think...like sleep-walking, but he could see a little, not that he was able to process anything in front of him. The only thing he registered was when the ground in front of him turned from brown to black and white, and he bumped into something.

He made to walk around it when he felt rather than heard a deep growling followed by a painful strike from something, and he was sent flying back. He struck the back of his head on the dirt as he landed and saw the angry form of a dragon rearing its head back to unleash a blast of fire, and then he saw something that sent his mind through a massive tidal wave of events.

* * *

The dusty landscapes of the wastes were quiet for once. The rumbling of his engine was the only sound echoing for miles, and that was music to Cloud's ears. It had been one hell of a day, but thanks to his skill, some luck, and aid from Yuffie, he had managed to save not only the people who had been in danger but his own sanity. This day had been nothing short of crazy! At least his deliveries to Kalm and the farm had been uneventful, and he could head home and walk into the house filled with the mouth-watering aroma of Tifa's homemade cupcakes.

A startling roar in the distance however dashed his hopes of getting home on time.

Cloud would have ignored it. There was no shame in running from a fight if you could avoid it, and it wasn't like the thing scared him. It did surprise him when it turned out to be a Gaia-forsaken Black Dragon from the North! Of course it was! Why not? Just add it to the list of other crazy things that happened today. Cloud was really tempted to ignore it and drive in a very wide arc around it, but that all changed when he saw some idiot walking right towards the damn thing. The moron looked like some lowlife bandit caught in another monster's daze...at least that's what the blond assumed as he was walking right towards the beast. Cloud cursed his moral compass sometimes.

Cloud mentally scolded himself for hesitating to act sooner as he saw the stranger go flying back from the dragon's tail that struck him, and the man hit the ground hard like a ragdoll. Cloud didn't have time to contemplate further as the beast reared back, aiming to blast its victim with its fire-breath.

 _ **Not on Cloud's watch.**_

The compartments on either side of his bike sprung open as he took three of his swords, connected them together, and launched it, javelin-style, at the beast who hadn't noticed him yet. The dragon _**did**_ notice when the sword stabbed it in the chest, and it let out a shrill call of pain as it reared back.

Cloud pulled his bike to a stop and took a running leap at the out-of-place monster with the rest of his swords connected to form another blade.

The dragon tried to lift into the air and strike at him from above, but Cloud brought his sword up and cast a barrier to protect himself against the flames. The transparent-crystallized sphere hit the ground, causing a dome-shaped crater as it slid back, and the protective bubble glowing blue where the flames were striking it.

Cloud smirked as the dragon landed a bit harder than it should have, which told him one thing: the creature was losing strength and hadn't wanted to land. That gave Cloud the perfect opportunity to counter-attack.

He let down the barrier, running at the beast with his sword poised to strike, but the dragon swung its tail out at him. Cloud turned his own enemy's strike against it as he jumped onto the tail and used it as a launching pad to fly straight at the dragon. It was like with the Marlboro...just rinse and repeat. Well, not exactly.

Cloud struck the dragon right next to his other sword which was still impaled in the oversized lizard, causing another pain-filled roar to echo through the empty landscape, but it wasn't dead.

Cloud saw the claws coming and grabbed both swords, pulling them free and dodging the creature's razor sharp talons before landing in front of it. The creature glared at him with wild, angry eyes but there was something else that unnerved him. He had fought these dragons before, certainly nowhere near these parts, but they had been quite the nuisance when he and his team headed into the Northern Crater to confront Sephiroth during their journey. Sure, they were serpent-like, not unlike a Zolom, but these ones…they bore a striking resemblance to Sephiroth's eyes. No other creature on the face of Gaia had eyes like Sephiroth's, except for one and it took a lot of manipulation to force Cloud's eyes to become cat-like, which they thankfully hadn't done so since Sephiroth's last return.

His PHS suddenly rang, drawing the beast's attention. The dragon took in a deep, hissing breath then, gathering as much energy as it could for a final powerful fire blast. Cloud's mood had gone from annoyed to resolved. He was done playing. Taking both swords, he ran and leaped into the air towards the dragon as it launched itself at him, aiming to strike him at point blank range.

There was a brilliant flash of light as Cloud crossed his arms and then struck out, passing through the dragon, its head sailing through the air a good fifty feet before crashing down on the ground with a thud. Cloud landed next and spun his sword to throw off most of the gore from his scissor-style attack as the body toppled over with a louder thud and started to fade into the Lifestream.

Cloud approached the man who was sitting up with his legs crossed and holding his head as if he were trying to fight his way out of his daze. The blond took a moment to study him. He was caked in so much mud and grime from the wastes; it was like he hadn't had a bath in years. His dark hair was all matted with sweat which left dirt trails down his face.

Cloud headed back over to Fenrir, which was only about twelve feet away, reached into his cooler to pull out a still-chilled water bottle, and offered it to him.

"Here," The man certainly needed it more than he did.

The man nodded his silent thanks as he took a few gulps before pouring the rest over his head, the water started out clear, but by the time it traveled through his hair and down his face it was brown as it dripped onto the dirt below.

"Need a potion or anything?" Cloud saw the man get hit hard and it probably knocked the wind out of him at the very least.

The man shook his head, and it annoyed Cloud that he wasn't speaking.

"My head's so full," he finally spoke. "So many images; they're all jumbled, I'm trying to figure out which order to place them in. I think it's my life, but..."

"Can't help you there," the blond replied honestly. He still had his own battle with missing memories to deal with.

The man looked up at him and suddenly, his mouth dropped open. "Spiky?"

Cloud blinked with surprise before his eyes widened as he saw a face he knew, but only in dreams and memories. That scar on his cheek, now revealed with the lack of dirt, those glowing eyes, that expression of a confused puppy…

First Tsurugi clattered to the ground as Cloud stumbled back and actually fell to his knees from the shock. He had to have been seeing things. He had to be wrong! There was just no way!

"Z-Zack?"

This feeling wasn't unlike the fear he had felt when he arrived at the church, back then, seeing Tifa laying injured in the flowerbed; rushing to her side, taking her in his arms and for a moment fearing the worst. He felt his air coming in short pants, panic and disbelief setting in. The man sitting before him studied him as well, his reactions registering with the man and he watched as he tried to spring into action. "Cloud!"

He made to move closer to him, but he faltered, wincing in pain. Cloud realized he was injured, if his agonizing grunt was anything to go by. The dragon had struck him pretty hard, Cloud remembered, and he didn't hesitate to whip out his materia and cast a mastered level Curaga on him, to heal any injuries from where he sat, his arm outstretched with the materia glowing in his palm. Zack closed his eyes and expressed a grateful smile before those bright blues opened back and focused on him.

"Thanks bud,…now do you have any food? All this hiking has worked up a massive appetite. I could eat a whole behemoth!" The fear, the panic, it was all chased away by that one stupid comment. It was so unexpected, and Cloud had forgotten how random his friend could be. He wasn't prepared for it, and that long forgotten part of him that had been lost was revived instantly as he lowered his head, his shoulders quivered with the efforts to suppress it, but the emotion was too strong to hold back.

Lifting his head, Cloud roared with laughter.

"Gaia, Zack! You come back from the dead and the first thing you think about is food. You haven't changed a bit."

Zack's smile beamed as he chuckled in kind. "Well the same can't be said for you. You kicked that mako poisoning...I was surprised to see such a shy, backwater kid to take down a dragon, and a northern one of all things!"

"Hey, you're a backwater kid too," Cloud shot back.

"Yeah, but I sure as hell ain't shy," Zack retorted as he made to stand, but his smile vanished when he didn't quite have the strength.

Cloud took his arm and threw it over his shoulder. "My turn." And with that he helped his friend towards Fenrir.

He didn't know how Zack was here, alive, and back in his life, but he wasn't about to question it. As they rode off, kicking up a trail of dust, Cloud looked over to his left side mirror and saw the cliff behind him in the distance. The sword was gone, now resting in the church. Even so, the cliff had always served as a starting point for him, and it was an ending point for Zack, _**'was'**_ being the keyword now, as Zack sat behind him, gazing at the scenery. He had enough time before they reached the house, so he started filling his friend in on what went down when Cloud carried on his legacy.


	4. Harkon

- **HARKON** -

 _ **Mother, the humans make a lot of noise.**_

 _It is their form of communication._

 _ **Why not use their minds, as we do?**_

 _They do not know how._

 _ **Speaking is cumbersome.**_

 _I agree, my child._

 _ **Yesterday, someone spoke to me, yet it was not what was in their mind.**_

 _It is their way. It is called "lying."_

 _ **Lying?**_

 _To speak something that has no truth._

 _ **Why do they lie?**_

 _There are many reasons, child, to lie._

 _ **Have you ever lied, Mother?**_

 _To the humans? Absolutely._

 _ **Why did you lie?**_

 _They would not be able to comprehend the truth._

 _ **Should I lie?**_

 _Yes._

* * *

When Tifa returned to the house, Angel was sitting back on the couch, staring intently at Yuffie's hands; the ebony-haired ninja waved her hands in front of her in grandiose gestures.

"Watch carefully," Yuffie told her, and the girl followed the instruction. Finally after a few seconds, Yuffie displayed her empty hand, much to Angel's amazement. Her bright green eyes widened, clearly astonished, and Yuffie reached slowly to the side of Angel's head and retracted her hand, displaying a single gil. For the first time that Tifa had ever seen, Angel squealed with delight, clapping her hands and laughing. The sound was infectious, almost musical...a lot like Aerith's used to be.

"Again!" Angel cried, smiling.

"Okay... one more time..." Yuffie told her. Tifa remained quiet as Yuffie performed the "pull the coin out of the ear" trick, and Angel laughed gleefully.

"Hi, you two," Tifa smiled, announcing her presence.

Angel stood up, her bright eyes meeting Tifa's.

"Hello... Tifa," Angel greeted, "W-welcome... home."

"Thank you, Angel." Tifa replied. _She's getting better._

"Yuffie! Yuffie!" Denzel and Marlene rushed at Yuffie, converging on her in a big hug.

"Hi guys!" Yuffie exclaimed, returning the affection. Looking down at Denzel, a slight frown marred the ninja's features but disappeared as quickly as it appeared. "Ready for cupcakes?"

"Yeah," Denzel grinned in spite of his shiner.

"Cupcakes," Angel chimed in.

"Have you ever had cupcakes, Angel?" Marlene asked her.

"No," she shook her head.

"You're gonna love them," Denzel gushed, "They're sticky and really sweet."

"Sticky and really sweet," she repeated.

"And Tifa makes the best cupcakes!" Marlene explained.

"Best," Angel parroted.

Tifa watched the scene for a few more minutes before disappearing into the kitchen. She began pulling out the ingredients, dishes, utensils, and the cupcake pan. As she worked, her thoughts returned to her discussion with Angel, and how this poor girl had been subjected to experiments for her whole life. No one deserved that kind of miserable existence, and it made her feel guilty for worrying about who might try to take Angel back.

Her contempt for scientists grew to epic proportions. Just who did they think they were? How could they justify putting anyone through that kind of physical torture? Cloud had once told her that Hojo soaked him and Zack in mako for days at a time. Even Lucrecia Crescent experimented on Vincent, a man she supposedly loved. Rage bubbled up inside of her as that image filled her mind. The blatant disregard scientists seem to develop for human feelings infuriated Tifa.

"Hmmm..." Tifa contemplated, "Maybe I should call Vincent, too."

 _Jumping the gun, Tifa. No one has come looking for Angel yet._ She wasn't sure whether she should wait for something to happen before calling on their friends or try to be proactive, preparing for the obvious eventuality that someone _**would**_ come for this girl, putting Tifa's family in danger. She needed to talk to Cloud about this.

She heard laughter from the living room, and it brought a gentle smile to her lips. Pouring the batter into the cupcake pan, she quickly adjusted the oven temperature and slid the two full pans inside. She grabbed the mixing bowl and the wooden spoon, making her way towards the living room.

"Who wants to lick the bowl?" Tifa announced, setting it down on the table. Like a pack of guard hounds, all of them advanced on the bowl...except Angel, of course, who didn't understand what she was supposed to do. Tifa was about to let her know when Denzel grabbed the spoon and handed it to her.

"Here you go, Angel," he carefully explained, "You lick the spoon."

"Lick?" Angel questioned, slightly confused.

Denzel demonstrated by licking a small area of the handle, and Angel squinted a little before copying his action. The look on that girl's face was...priceless, and Tifa wished she had a camera for it.

Angel's eyes widened, and she gasped, expelling a small, "Oh!" She eagerly started lapping up the batter on the spoon as if it were going to be the last thing she ever tasted.

"It's good, huh?" Denzel grinned.

"Yes... good!" Angel exclaimed, extracting every inch of batter from that spoon.

"Wait till you taste the frosting, Angel!" Marlene said.

"Frosting..." Angel replied, searching the spoon for more of the batter but finding none.

Marlene glanced at Angel, tilting her head and laughing. "You have some on your nose!" she giggled, "Here, let me help."

Marlene reached up and wiped the small dab of batter from her nose, and Tifa stifled a chuckle as Angel's eyes momentarily crossed.

"There you go," Marlene giggled.

"Thank you... Marlene." Angel smiled.

Tifa retrieved the bowl and spoon, returning to the kitchen to begin the frosting. Glancing at the clock, she withdrew her PHS as she worked, quick-dialing Cloud. One ring...two rings...three rings...voice mail.

"Ugh!" she let out a frustrated cry. Why did he have such a hard time answering his phone?

* * *

Marlene had to admit that this girl was nice. She was a lot like the flower lady Marlene met long ago and sometimes visited in her dreams. Her eyes were so glowy and green, and Marlene wanted to plunge her hands into that thick, silver hair and braid it! Even Cloud seemed to like her, and that was really saying something. She didn't know Angel very well, but the woman had saved Denzel's life...that was enough for Marlene to trust her.

It was sad that her parents never gave her a name. Marlene wondered why she couldn't talk very well. Did she not want to talk, or did she just not know how? Had she never learned? Why had she never learned? Was talking not allowed where she was from? Where _**was**_ she from? Wherever it was, she seemed happy to be here rather than there. With all this in mind, Marlene resolved to teach Angel how to talk properly.

"Denzel, we should teach Angel how to talk," Marlene suggested.

"Yeah, we should," he agreed, and then he turned to her, "Do you want to learn to talk?"

"Yes... thank you." she replied.

"When you ask for something, you say 'please'," Marlene instructed, "When you receive something, you say 'thank you.'"

Angel seemed to consider this for a moment and then said, "Yes... please."

"That was very good, Angel," Marlene smiled at her, putting a small hand on the woman's shoulder.

"Thank you?" she asked.

"That's right, Angel," Denzel encouraged.

"When you meet someone for the first time-" Marlene began, and Angel interrupted.

"Nice to meet'cha!" she beamed, enthusiastically. Marlene and Denzel giggled.

" _ **I**_ taught her that," Yuffie grinned.

"Come on, Denzel... let's show her how to meet someone." Marlene prodded, pulling him off the couch. The two faced one another.

"Hi!" Denzel said to Marlene, "My name is Denzel."

"Nice to meet'cha," snickered Marlene, "My name is Marlene." She turned back to Angel, who was watching them very carefully. "That's how you meet new people."

Angel nodded, giving her a very pretty smile.

"Teach her how to say 'Yuffie is a kick-butt ninja!'" Yuffie suggested, causing Marlene and Denzel to erupt into giggles.

"Hm... what else..." Marlene wondered, "Oh, a good phrase for her to learn is 'What does that mean'. My daddy says the best way to learn is to ask questions."

"What does that mean..." Angel repeated.

"If you don't understand what someone says to you," Denzel explained, "ask them that question. Like this!"

He faced Marlene, who assumed her position once again.

"Denzel, I want a hug." she told him.

"What does that mean?" he asked, and she wrapped her arms around him, squeezing lightly.

"And if you don't know what something is, you can ask 'What is it'" Marlene added. She dashed over to a side table, picking up a magazine and returning to Denzel. She held it out to him. "What is it?"

"It's a magazine." he answered.

"Daddy says there are five basic questions... who, what, when, where, and why... the 5 W's. Use 'who' for people... 'what' for objects... 'when' for time... 'where' for places... and 'why' for reasons." Marlene said.

"Reasons... what does that mean?" Angel asked. It really thrilled Marlene that she was learning, though this would be hard to explain.

"Reasons..." Marlene thought about it. "Everyone eats... the reason they eat is because they're hungry. Everyone sleeps... the reason they sleep is because they're tired."

The woman nodded. "I understand... thank you... Marlene."

Soon enough, the smell of those cupcakes filled the house, making Marlene's stomach feel like it was caving in on itself. Beside her, Angel inhaled deeply, her eyes closing in pleasure.

"What is it?"she wondered.

"Those are the cupcakes," Marlene told her.

Her face contorted into a confused expression. "No... understand."

"Say 'I don't understand'" Marlene gently corrected her.

She nodded. "I don't understand."

"What don't you understand?"

"Lick... what is it?"

Marlene tilted her head, trying to understand what Angel was telling her. She had licked the spoon with the batter... oh! Did she think the batter was the cupcake?

"Oh, that was the batter for the cupcakes," Marlene explained, hoping that was what she wanted to know. "Tifa put batter in a pan and put it in the oven to bake. What we licked was the stuff that didn't fit in the pan."

It took Angel a couple seconds before she exclaimed, "Oh! I understand."

Marlene briefly wondered what kind of horrible live she had lived where she never got to taste a cupcake.

Suddenly, Angel sat up straight, her eyes wary.

"Angel? What's wrong?" she asked. The woman stood up, walking towards the window, so Marlene decided that she should follow her.

"Danger..." Angel breathed, that wary expression slowly changing into fear as she gazed outside. Marlene followed her stare and saw two people... with weapons... knocking on the door of a nearby house. It was difficult to see what they were wearing because it was starting to get dark. It looked like armor but it wasn't big and bulky like Shinra's uniforms used to be. When Mrs. Grayson answered the door, one of them held something up for her to see, but she shook her head. They put whatever it was away and went to the next house.

"Denzel, you better go get Tifa," Marlene warned him.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"Just do it... hurry!" Marlene hissed at him. Denzel must have recognized the urgency in her voice because he took off like a shot. Angel backed away from the window, mumbling something Marlene couldn't quite pick up.

"Marlene, wha..." her voice trailed off when she saw Angel's expression. "Angel, what's wrong?"

"No... no... no... no... no... no..." Angel kept whispering the word "no" over and over again as she stared through the window. Tifa joined Marlene in watching the two men coming closer, knocking on the door of the house next door. This time, Marlene heard their conversation perfectly.

"Hello, sir," Man #1 began, "We're with the new Shinra Police Force. Two days ago, a young lady escaped from the psychiatric ward on the west side of Edge. We were wondering if you've seen her."

Man #2 held up a picture to Mr. Corble.

"No, I'm afraid not," Mr. Corble answered, "Is she dangerous?"

"She's not mentally stable, sir," Man #1 replied, "We just want to return her to the hospital so she can get the help she needs. I wouldn't approach her, though. If you see her, will you kindly call this number?"

Man #2 handed Mr. Corble a business card.

"Of course... of course," Mr. Corble agreed.

"Thank you, sir." The two men made their way to 7th Heaven. Tifa turned to Marlene.

"Marlene, you and Denzel stay up here with Angel and keep quiet." Tifa told her.

"You know they're lying, right?" Marlene asked, worried that Tifa might believe their story and give Angel to those men.

"Yes, I know they're lying." Tifa explained, "That 'hospital' has been shut down for two months."

Marlene felt a sense of relief at Tifa's words. There was something about those two men that she didn't like... something that scared her horribly. She turned to look at poor Angel, who was now huddled in the corner, trembling and continually whispering one word over and over: "Harkon... Harkon... Harkon..."

"I don't know what to do," Denzel shook his head, watching her.

 _Cloud, please come home, soon!_

* * *

Tifa nodded to Yuffie, silently asking the Wutai princess to follow her downstairs. The bar was pretty full tonight, so she was fairly certain these men wouldn't cause a scene. Nevertheless, it was nice to have some backup, at least until Cloud made it back. She gave a smile to Petra, the woman she had hired to tend the bar for some nights.

"How are things tonight, Petra?" Tifa struck up a conversation so she didn't look like she was waiting for the two men who were about to show up.

"Can't complain," the young barmaid responded, "That new wine you procured is a huge success. They're sellin' like mad! I can barely keep up!"

"Good to hear," Tifa said, seeing the men enter from the corner of her eye.

"Don't worry, though," Petra continued, as Tifa knew she would. One of the reason she hired the girl was her proclivity to socialize, "We still have a good amount of it on stock. You should probably order more very soon, though. If it keeps selling the way it has, we will definitely need more. One guy came in here and had 7 glasses of the stuff. He just couldn't get enough. I had to shut him down, of course... but there was no trouble."

On and on she went until the two men made their way up to the bar.

"Hi there! Welcome to 7th Heaven!" Petra greeted them, giving the chance for Tifa to get a really good look at them. They were about as tall as Vincent, dressed in black and brown uniforms that didn't look like any armor Tifa had ever seen. It was compact and form-fitting. Both men wore hoods, but as soon as they looked towards Tifa, she could see their eyes...almost glowing.

"We are with new Shinra Police Force" the man began, "The Psychiatric Hospital on the west side of Edge reported an escaped patient two days ago."

"Did they, now?" Tifa interrupted, crossing her arms, "because that psychiatric ward was closed due to questionable practices."

"It recently reopened last week, Miss," the man informed her, without missing a beat. She lifted her chin at him... she had to because the crap was starting to pile up.

"Last week, huh?" she smirked.

"That's right," he nodded, "Now, as I was saying, a young woman has escaped from this facility. She is highly volatile and mentally unstable. We were wondering if you've seen her?"

The second, silent man held up a picture of Angel for her to look at.

"No, can't say that I have," Tifa said after "examining" the photo. It was just Angel standing in front of a white wall, her face staring straight at the camera. It tore Tifa's heart out to see the broken, terrified, dejected expression on Angel's face.

The second man glanced at his partner, something unspoken between them.

"Can you just look at the photo one more time, Miss?" the first man requested, as the second was still holding up the photo.

"What's the deal, creep?" Yuffie spat at him, "She said she never saw the girl."

Tifa obliged him one more time.

"Nope," Tifa repeated. "I think I'd remember someone who looked like that. The eyes alone are...memorable."

"Yeah," Yuffie agreed, "That's a lotta hair, too!"

The second man looked like he was going to make a move, but the first held up a hand.

"Very well, Miss...what was your name again?" he fished.

"Oh, I never actually gave you my name." she said briskly, staring him down. She really hoped these two wouldn't start anything in a room full of her patrons.

"Yeah, we only give our names to people we actually like," Yuffie added, smiling pleasantly at the men.

"Well, if you do see her," he went on as if Yuffie hadn't spoken, reaching into his coat to withdraw a card, handing it to her, "please, contact me immediately. It is in your best interests to cooperate."

The second man started moving towards Yuffie as if he really were going to start a fight, but the first man held up a hand to him.

"Is that a threat?" Tifa said, raising the volume of her voice. The entire bar went completely quiet, and four rather brawny men stood up.

"I don't think you want to threaten Tifa in this city, genius!" Yuffie spat at him with all the contempt she could muster.

"Are these guys bothering you, Tifa?" one of them, a guy named Henry, called to her.

"No, I think they were just leaving," she hollered to him, then directing her words to the men in front of her, "Right?"

"Thank you for your time, Miss," the first man said, bowing slightly to her. Both he and his associate left the bar as Tifa took a deep breath, letting it out.

"Thanks, guys," Tifa smiled at them.

"Anytime, Tifa," Henry smiled, seating himself again.

 _Cloud, I hope you get home soon!_

* * *

The sun had set by the time Cloud had ridden into town. The streets where the monsters had attacked had been blocked off, and he saw some members of the WRO on the scene taking evidence and jotting down eye witness accounts. The people knew they could trust Reeve's forces, and it reminded him that he needed to get in touch with the man, soon not just about the monster attacks but possibly a few others things too, one of said other things was looking around the city like a dang tourist. It made Cloud smirk a bit, but he knew that it was probably a lot for the warrior to absorb.

"What the hell happened to Midgar? It sure as hell changed since I was last here." Zack's eyes scanned everything, most likely shocked to see the area around here more open and a lot like how things were above the plate while being below it, and off to the side.

"This is Edge, a city that sprung up just outside of Midgar," the blond told him.

"Uh-huh," Zack mused to himself as he continued taking in his surroundings. "Progress must be pretty fast if they've got their own police force checking the neighborhood so thoroughly."

"The WRO back there? Those were from out of town, they're not stationed in Edge," the blond replied.

"No, not those guys...these guys in the suits," Zack said as he pointed them out.

Cloud followed Zack's direction, and sure enough, there were men in brown and black outfits with hoods, and he noticed shoulder guards too...and were those weapons at their sides? Something was up, and the blond didn't like it.

He kept his worries from Zack, however, and tried to act like everything was normal. They pulled up to a red light and were waiting for the signal to change when Cloud leaned forward, gripping the handlebars tighter. "Gah!"

"What's wrong," asked Zack.

Cloud squinted through the pain as he struggled to focus on what was in front of him. Suddenly, he felt a sense of dread, danger and panic. It reminded him of when he arrived at the church over a year ago, now, and found Tifa laying in the flower bed, injured and weak. The fear that she could possibly be…

 _Screw the damn light!_

Cloud revved up Fenrir and shot off towards the bar at top speed, ignoring the red light he ran and the angry shouts from people he had cut off. If this feeling was an omen that Tifa needed him then he'd race through the flames of hell to get to her, and if he found her injured or worse, Gaia help the walking corpse who attacked her.

* * *

Tifa had closed the bar early that night after the men had left, and her loyal patrons didn't hold that against her. Drunk or sober, they respected the woman who had not only been part of the team that saved the world, but had always been kind to anyone who entered through those doors even before the city fell.

Currently, Tifa was in the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of juice after trying and failing to get Angel to come out from the corner she was huddled in. The poor girl was terrified, and Tifa couldn't blame her. Those guys were A-Class jerks, but the bar maiden had hoped she would have calmed down after they left. It only proved how horrible that place really had been, not that Tifa needed anymore proof. What kind of facility deprived someone of basic knowledge? Her speech was barely fluid, though the kids were making excellent progress. It was clear she hadn't been fed right either. She had never tried cupcakes or even eggs before today? Sure, baked goods weren't really required to enjoy life, but still! Everyone needed some kind of edible guilty pleasure.

The kids were in the living room, playing a board game with Yuffie while Angel was curled up in a corner. The kids had tried to get her to cheer up and come out, but she kept her head buried in her legs which were pulled up tightly to her chest and she kept whispering "Please… here" every few minutes, though they had no idea what that meant.

Tifa was getting ready to try and coax her out again when she heard the garage door opening from beyond the main entrance from the garage to the house. Tifa smiled with relief, but then she heard a different voice than what she was expecting.

"Man, that was crazy! You almost got us killed I know you wanted to get that over with, but-wait... are those cupcakes I smell?"

The door opened, and Tifa saw a head of black hair instead of blond, eyes glowing, and she struck first, not bothering to give any enhanced enemy the chance to strike first.

She threw the glass of juice right at him. The brim of it struck his forehead, and the liquid stung his eyes as she rushed in with a battle cry, thrusting her arm upwards to connect right in the gut. Watching as the impact caused him to lurch forward, she brought up her knee to strike him in the chin before flipping him on his back. She was about to bring her foot down on his face when-

"Tifa, wait!"

A gloved hand caught her foot and stopped it, but didn't do anything to throw her off balance.

She looked up to see Cloud, breathing a sigh of relief as he managed to save his friend from needing reconstruction surgery on his face. He could tell by the force she used that she wasn't playing around.

Zack gulped as he looked up at her and waved sheepishly. "Hey, remember me?"

Recollection hit her hard as she backed up, "Cloud... how..."

"Tifa, you okay in there," Yuffie called before there was a sound of rapid footsteps, "Hey! Wait!... Angel!"

The girl suddenly appeared in the doorway from the hall and ran right into Cloud's surprised arms, silently sobbing into his shirt.

The warrior's face reflected that he was stunned and didn't know what to make of it, but he did wrap one comforting arm around her... _always the hero,_ Tifa chuckled inwardly. He looked over at Tifa, before addressing the elephant in the room.

"What happened?"

"Harkon..." whispered Angel.


	5. Misunderstandings

_Shade The Hero: Well, this chapter almost didn't get uploaded today. Both Screwygirl and I were feeling under the weather and it really put a hamper on things. But regardless, we push through and carry on._

 _I know I'm overdue for an update for both Nightmare Undone and Materias Rection. The former is still missing something, and I need to make sure it's a proper chapter before I even consider uploading it. If I don't think a chapter is ready, I'm not going to bring it out. You deserve good quality story-telling and that's what you'll get. As for the latter, that's more of a freelance story with no schedule it's not going to end there, so don't worry. I have many more curve balls to throw Cloud's way. ;)_

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

- **MISUNDERSTANDINGS** -

 _ **Will I ever get to see you, Mother?**_

 _I do not know, child._

 _ **The humans never let me leave this place.**_

 _Yes, they do love their cages._

 _ **Is that where I am? In a cage?**_

 _Yes, my child._

 _ **Why do they love their cages?**_

 _It is how they contain what they want to control._

 _ **Someday, I will leave my cage and find you.**_

 _Many of my children have said this._

 _ **There are others that come from you?**_

 _Yes, my child. They are your brothers and sisters._

 _ **Then I will find them, too.**_

* * *

Cloud looked away from Tifa, who had turned away from them, and focused on Angel, who had wrapped her arms under his, and he wasn't quite sure how to handle this situation. He still sensed danger and fear, but it was easing, as if the threat was diminishing.

Zack sat up, rubbing the back of his head from when he landed. "If this is how you treat guests I'd hate to be an enemy."

"Sorry," Tifa offered as she turned back around to offer Zack her apology, "I thought you were them."

Zack gave her a look that said he wanted to know more, but Yuffie popped around the corner. "Wha, you?!"

Zack blinked at her, and his jaw dropped open. "What are _**you**_ doing here?!"

"I asked you first," the ninja princess demanded.

Zack got up, rubbing his torso. "Spiky found me in the wastes tussling with a dragon, but what are you doing so far away from home? You're supposed to be in Wutai."

Yuffie smirked at that. "As a princess I can come and go as I please, and no one can stop me from coming to see my friends, especially considering how helpful I've been. Tell 'em, Cloud."

The blond gave an exasperated sigh before replying, "Yeah, you did help out during that outbreak downtown."

"We saw that attack on TV," Marlene chirped from the doorway. She and Denzel were hanging back and watching the scene unfold among the adults with curiosity.

Denzel smirked at Cloud from where he stood. "The reporter said some pretty cool things when the camera zoomed in and showed you flying off the back of the Marlboro on your bike. He started cheering like he was at a ball game."

"Dude," Zack remarked as he regarding his friend with respect. "You ran over a Marlboro? That's badass!"

"Bad… ass?"

The group looked towards Angel, who had finally seemed to calm down somewhat and turned to look at everyone. She still hadn't released her hold on Cloud yet, his expression betraying how uncomfortable he felt.

"What does that mean?"

Zack smirked at her, "It means awesome! Because those things are nasty, and only the best warriors try to take them down... Ouch!"

Marlene had kicked him in the shin and pouted, wiggling her finger at him. "Don't you dare teach Angel bad words! Me, Denzel and Yuffie have been teaching her how to talk, and you're not gonna mess it up!"

"Cute kid," Zack winced as he looked over at Denzel. He then looked back over to Cloud. "Dang, how long was I lost in the wastes? You ended up having two kids, and one looks almost old enough to start cadet training? And you finally got the girl, nice job!"

The panicked look in Cloud's eyes was only rivaled by the deep shade of red that flushed Tifa's face. The blond unconsciously reached for his pocket to make sure his secret was still safe and hidden.

Zack instantly felt bad. "Oh, man… you mean… boy this is awkward."

Angel sensed Cloud's eagerness to change the subject and tried her best.

"Who… are you?"

"I'm Zack Fair, SOLDEIR First Class! Or, at least I was SOLDEIR…" she tilted her head as if asking what he meant, and he sighed. "Long story."

The timer dinged then and Marlene perked up. "The cupcakes are done!"

Tifa went to head over to the oven when Cloud called over to her. "Hey, Tifa, can I talk to you in the other room for a sec?"

Angel didn't want to let go yet, but Cloud took her hand and offered her a kind smile. "I'll be right back. I'm not heading out again for a while, okay?"

Angel nodded as Marlene and Denzel pulled her towards the table. It was up to Yuffie to pull out the cupcakes, and Zack got his hand smacked by the ninja.

Tifa headed into the other room and waited for him to speak first.

"Are you okay?"

"What are you referring to?" She closed her eyes, her expression showing her regret at her aggressive tone. Taking a deep breath, she smiled at him apologetically. "Sorry, it's been a bad night."

"Tell me what happened." he encouraged.

"These men in uniform were going around asking the neighbors about Angel." explained Tifa.

"What did they say, or did they steer clear of the bar?"

Tifa shook her head. "No, they came inside and caused a scene. Henry and his boys stepped in and the two dunderheads left on their own before they were thrown out. I waited half an hour before closing early. Poor Angel was petrified. She huddled in a corner and stayed there until you got home."

"Sorry, Tifa," Cloud offered sincerely. "I was trying to get home early, but I didn't expect to find a Northern black dragon in the wastes."

"Not to mention your best friend returned from the dead, I might add. You wanna explain him?"

Cloud just closed his eyes and shook his head. "I have no idea. I didn't even know it was him until after I killed the dragon and he washed some of the dirt off."

Tifa sighed as she sat down, and Cloud became worried when he noticed just how tired she looked. All of this day-to-day stress was eating at the both of them, between the monster attacks, the extra patrols and longer work hours, running the bar, and then taking care of a lost girl now with the added threat of men after her? It was too much, and Tifa was wearing down, as was Cloud. He would've gladly offered to take all the burden on himself if he needed to, just to make it easier for her.

Again he placed his hand over his pocket, feeling for the box that was protected within and decided that now wasn't the time. He still knelt down in front of her and placed his hand over hers.

"Tifa…"

She looked at him, and he could see her fighting back tears. Only _**he**_ would be able to tell something like that.

"Why don't we take a break for a few days and leave Edge? You deserve a vacation, and Petra can run the bar while we're gone."

"What about the kids' school? If we take them out of class then they'll fall behind, and I don't even want to think about what the principle would say."

"Let me deal with him if he gives any trouble," Cloud offered. He was never one to hold his past deeds over others' heads, but he also wouldn't stand for anyone walking over him and his family either. He had suffered enough from bullies in the past, and he was done with that.

"Well…I don't know…"

"Come on, Teef...it'll be fine." He offered her a positive smile, and that smile that he lived for appeared on her lips. He was trying so hard to be optimistic for her. A couple years ago, this pep talk was the other way around, and she had needed to give **him** the "we can do it" chat. Cloud was determined to convince her to go on this vacation, even if he had to kidnap her and bring her there himself.

"But what would I wear?"

Cloud's smile grew and he squeezed her hand just a bit more as he stood up. "Pack some sunscreen."

* * *

"So, how does it taste?" Yuffie asked Zack.

Zack honestly couldn't remember the last real honest to goodness meal he had experienced, only surviving on whatever he found on his travels while evading Shinra for so long. But this cupcake...it needed a new name. This miraculous gift from heaven was the most amazing thing he had experienced in years! He tried to fight the tears, but a few still fell. "It's perfect!"

"Not the cupcake, stud," Yuffie chuckled, "Your foot."

Zack blinked, totally confused. "Huh?"

She leaned back, amused. "Well, I've never seen someone put both their feet in their mouth at the same time, before."

Zack was still clueless until he carefully thought over the last five minutes. As soon as it clicked, he instantly blushed. "Sh-shut up! How was I supposed to know?"

It was obvious she was enjoying this a little too much.

"Oh, you could have... I dunno... asked?" she told him. Thinking about it for a moment, she laughed, "I don't think I've ever seen Cloud so overwhelmed before."

She leaned the seat back on two legs, propping her feet up on the chair in front of her.

Zack looked down, feeling guilty. "It's not my fault, I just figured he had found her and finally..." he stopped then; he didn't remember much about the ninja girl, only that she was sneaky. Now that she was a teen, he didn't know if he could trust her with Cloud's secret, so he decided to slightly change the topic and roll with the last bit Yuffie offered.

"Wait, really? He used to be like that all the time when he was in the infantry, totally shy and timid but wasn't afraid to jump in when needed... Except for becoming a total bad-a..." He stopped when he received a stern glare from Marlene, "Awesome hero, with that super strength, he still seems the same, at least to me."

He then turned to the kids. "So, what's your stories, if you're not Cloud's kids?"

Yuffie watched him, narrowing her eyes. "The little guy, over there, is Denzel. Cloud rescued him a few years back and took him in." She pointed to the girl. "That's Marlene... Cloud and Tifa take care of her while her father is... working."

Zack nodded along as Yuffie introduced each one, thinking how it was just like his friend to look out for the underdog when things get rough, and it was sweet that he was trying to help his friends in any way he could.

She took a bite of her own cupcake, swallowing it before talking again. "And Cloud... well, he can be kind of clueless with girls. Not sure what he's waiting for with Tifa, and all..."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I think it's a self esteem issue with him. It's bothered him in the past too. I tried to push him in the right direction and give him some confidence. It might have worked if not for what happened back then with Sephiroth."

"And then there's Angel." Yuffie sat up, putting her feet down. "Tifa found her in the wastes. She doesn't know how to talk... or feed herself... Tifa said she escaped from some lab."

He then turned to look at the girl next, and his eyes reflected nothing but pity and understanding

"I'm sorry Angel. I know how that feels. Me'an Cloud were the same. We broke out of a lab and evaded capture for... I think it was about a year. He was suffering from mako poisoning, and I don't even know if he was even conscious for the duration of our time on the run. I can't even remember what happened towards the end. I remember riding on the back of a truck and then looking up to see Cloud fighting a dragon, but that's a big chuck that's missing. No one goes from being in a mako-coma to swinging a giant meat-cleaver at a giant flying lizard."

Yuffie tilted her head, recognition lighting up her ebony eyes. "You're _**that**_ Zack? Wait...how can you be _**that**_ Zack?"

Her shout startled him, as his head snapped back in Yuffie's direction. "What do you mean by that? I've always been me. I don't think there was any other Zack in SOLDIER at the time. I would have joked about it, I'm sure."

Yuffie stared at him; apparently, it was her turn to be confused. "Cloud told us that his best friend, Zack, died years ago. He doesn't like to talk about it... or anything, really... but Tifa told me that Zack... you... were like... the most awesome hero. You totally took on an army to save Cloud's life, but in the end, they finally got you."

All the humor vanished from the ex-SOLDIER's features as he unconsciously stood, third , half-eaten cupcake forgotten as he slowly turned his gaze from her and focused on the floor, his mind racing over the past events he knew of...

"But... that's impossible. I wasn't... I don't remember any of that."

Denzel had been quiet for a long time, before speaking up. "That place on the cliff... Cloud said it was where he began his journey. Was that where it happened?"

Zack turned to him. "The cliff?"

He closed his eyes and shook his head, feeling a headache coming on. "I don't remember anything like that. But how could I be dead if I'm alive now?"

The pre-teen bit his lip, mulling things over. "Maybe Angel brought you back. She brought me back after that monster stabbed me."

"Is that possible?" came a voice from the doorway.

* * *

Zack looked over his shoulder at the doorway where Cloud stood. The blond entered the kitchen and looked around, taking in the somber atmosphere. Was it really up to him to brighten the mood with Yuffie and Zack there, of all people? Regardless, he was genuinely curious to know so he directed his attention towards Angel.

"Did you revive him like you did Denzel?"

Angel looked up at Cloud, glancing at Zack briefly. "Yes... more."

Cloud's eyes shined as he kneeled down to her, not with mako, but with barely contained unshed tears. "Thank you."

That's when the other part registered. "Wait, did you say more?"

Angel smiled, placing a hand over his heart. "Heal hurt... more."

Yuffie chimed in, clearly annoyed that she hasn't been included in the conversation. "Wait, so, Miss Glowy Eyes can bring people back from the dead?"

"Not all people." Angel added.

No one would ever know why it happened. Whether it was from the relief of overwhelming guilt that she had simply erased, the stress from so much craziness happening at once, or simply that he didn't give a damn who saw him at this at that moment, but Cloud Strife didn't even hesitate to reach over and give Angel a tight and grateful hug.

He could really feel it... the heartache over losing Zack was being washed away with the realization that this wasn't some temporary thing or dream or hallucination. He was alive, and there were more? Was she trying to revive people he mainly cared for, or were there other people on her list? He really didn't care. What he was feeling now was on the same level of the trauma he had witnessed in Nibelheim, but this was the exact opposite.

He wanted to convey how grateful he was, because _thank you_ wasn't good enough, but he didn't know how!

Zack smiled warmly at the display, looking over at Yuffie, whose question had been unanswered. "You're guess is as good as mine."

* * *

Tifa felt happier than she had in a few days... maybe even months. He was finally opening up to her and giving her signs that he really did care. And then to suggest a vacation for all of them... what a brilliant and thoughtful idea, coming from Cloud. Costa del Sol was a great place to go for just such a vacation. She could almost picture the sandy beaches... lounging in a chair next to Cloud on the beach, watching the sunrise every morning. Perhaps there was hope for them after all.

She didn't know what to make of Angel. The girl obviously had feelings for Cloud. No one had been able to get her to move from that corner until Cloud had come through the door, and then she rushed into his arms. Tifa couldn't help the erupting pang of jealousy followed by the depressing onslaught of guilt for feeling jealous in the first place. Of course, she would run to Cloud; he made her feel safe. She scolded herself for even indulging her jealousy in the first place.

Tifa had to admit that the girl was lovely, and she wouldn't blame any man for pursuing her. Long, flowing silver hair, eyes that were that minty shade of green, skin that looked like porcelain, just enough color in her cheeks and lips...if Tifa were a man, _**she**_ would be attracted to her. She could hardly hold it against Cloud for responding... though, she thought, maybe, he might be above that. He wasn't usually the type to be swept up by a pretty face.

Tifa sighed, unhappy with her train of thought. Why was she stressing out about this? This girl didn't know how to talk or feed herself or protect herself. It was highly unlikely that she would even know how to initiate a relationship... or even physical intimacy. And she was so child-like, she doubted that Cloud would even consider thinking about her in that way. She chuckled at the very notion, shaking her head. She had absolutely nothing to worry about.

Collecting her thoughts, she stood up, taking a moment to straighten herself out and walked into the kitchen. Once in the door, she froze, a chill overcoming her. There was Cloud, on his knees in front of Angel with his arms firmly wrapped around her. This wasn't the uncomfortable, slightly comical "What do I do?" demeanor that she had seen earlier when she ran into his arms; this was Cloud leaning in and hugging her for all he was worth. He didn't even do that with Tifa.

She hadn't even noticed when Yuffie approached her and pulled her back into the other room.

"Oh, I know that look," Yuffie began, "It isn't as bad as you think."

"It doesn't matter," Tifa snapped, "It's not like we're together or anything."

"Oh, puh-lease!" Yuffie scoffed, "He's crazy about you."

Tifa stared at Yuffie, incredulously. "And he decided to show it by hugging a very pretty girl?"

Was Yuffie really trying to defend it?

"No, he decided to show the very pretty girl how grateful he is that she brought his dead best friend back to life!" Yuffie shot back.

It took a moment for the ninja's words to sink in.

"She brought Zack back from the dead?" Tifa echoed in disbelief.

"Yea, it shocked the hell out of me, too," Yuffie breathed.

 _Dammit!_ Tifa realized that, once again, she had overreacted. What was wrong with her? She knew exactly what was wrong with her. She was jealous. _**She**_ wanted to be the one to make him that happy. _**She**_ wanted to be the one to run into his arms. _**She**_ wanted to be the one he wrapped his arms around. Right now, _**she**_ wasn't the one.

"Don't worry, Tifa," Yuffie said, placing a comforting hand on the brunette's back, "You'll see. He'll come around."

 _I really hope so!_

* * *

He looked so much lighter, now, when he pulled back from the hug. She didn't know how to explain what she felt when he was near her, but it was pleasant, something she had only known with one other person. She savored every moment of contact with Cloud, every gentle smile, every display of happiness. It broke her heart to see him sad, and when he reached out to her, his eyes misty with joy, her heart practically sang.

She felt so much better now that he was back. She knew that he would never let them take her back there. He would protect her. He was so strong and had such a good spirit. She didn't know people like that were real. She didn't want to leave this place where Cloud was... where Tifa was... where Denzel was... where Marlene was. She didn't know what to call it, but she never wanted to lose it. As Cloud stood and walk towards Zack, she made a promise to herself that she would do everything she could to keep them safe.

Now, with the Harkons coming to get her, she feared not only that she would be taken back but that they would hurt Tifa and Denzel and Marlene. No one understood how powerful and unrelenting they were... and how fiercely they guarded their secrets. She understood their way. They ended people who saw too much. She couldn't let them do that to people that she cared about. Angel had to try to explain the Harkons to them so that they would be prepared when the Harkons returned... and she knew they would return.

"What's wrong, Angel?" Denzel asked her. She looked at the child, placing a hand on his cheek. She wanted to answer him, but she didn't quite know all the words yet.

"Fear." she told him, watching Cloud give a sword to Zack as they walked out of the room.

"You don't have to be afraid, Angel," Denzel smiled at her, placing his own hand over hers. "You're part of our family, now. We'll protect you."

Her heart leaped with an elation she could barely contain. That was the word. She was part of the family! She pulled Denzel into a gentle hug.

"Family." she whispered. She felt Marlene on her other side and included her in the embrace, relishing the exquisite sensations deep within her. Both children pulled back, and Marlene starting running her fingers through Angel's hair.

"You have a lot of hair, Angel," Marlene commented, "Does it get in the way?"

Angel nodded at Marlene. Sometimes, infuriatingly so. Her hair hung down to the back of her thighs; her keepers had once tried to cut it shorter, but it had grown back almost instantly.

"I could braid it for you," the young girl offered, "I'm really good at braiding hair."

"Braid?" Angel queried.

"Let me show you."

It felt wonderful to have Marlene touching those silver locks that always seemed to be in Angel's view. While Marlene played with her hair, Denzel sat down on the floor, taking out a book and a pencil and began drawing a picture. Angel watched the boy with fascination, noting how the lines started resembling a face. It took quite a long time, but when Marlene finished, she dashed off and returned with two hand mirrors.

"Take one of these and hold it up in front of you," Marlene instructed.

When Angel did it, she saw her own reflection staring back at her, but she had never seen it so clearly! Mostly, she saw her own reflection as a dim ghost of an image in the glass of her cage. This was very bright and remarkably vivid. She stared at herself, utterly fascinated. Was that what people saw when they looked at her?

After the initial shock, she looked at her hair, which was completely out of her face. Marlene had created beautiful patterns all the way down the length of her hair on both sides of her face, then pulled them behind her head, but she couldn't quite see...

Suddenly, Marlene placed another mirror behind Angel's head, and she could see the reflection of it in the mirror Angel was holding! How extraordinary! The two patterns merged into one at the back of Angel's head. It was so pleasing to look at.

"It looks pretty, doesn't it?" Marlene asked.

"It looks pretty!" Angel breathed. "Thank you, Marlene."

"You're welcome, Angel," the young girl replied.

Angel stared at it a moment longer, and then, suddenly, a sharp, icy pain blossomed within her, the presence of at least 5 Harkons whispering to her senses... and one other presence that awakened her terror.

 _No! Not him!_

Why were they sending him? The mirror slipped from her hand, shattering as it impacted the floor. The fear paralyzed her, consuming her like a tomb.

 _Not him! Not him! Not him!_

"Not him!" she gasped. She could hear the kids talking to her, but their voices were muffled and unintelligible. She felt hands grip her arms, and she tried to focus on who was in front of her...it was Tifa.

"Angel!" she called, "Talk to me!"

"Harkons!" she replied, her voice quivering, "...and him."

"Who?"

"Kane!"


	6. Showdown At High Moon

_Shade the Hero: I'm sorry, I know this update came late. Today's been a busy one! :D But, We got a lot of stuff done. As for things on my end, Nightmare Undone is making progress, it's almost ready to be updated. Materias Reaction isn't far behind it. I honestly didn't expect that one to be so popular, and I seriously wanna thank you guys for the amazing support._

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

- **SHOWDOWN AT HIGH-MOON** -

 _ **I reached out to the humans with my mind.**_

 _What happened?_

 _ **They were afraid.**_

 _They do not like to share their minds._

 _ **Why not?**_

 _They enjoy their lies and secrets._

 _ **What are secrets, Mother?**_

 _When you have knowledge that others do not._

 _ **We have many secrets from them, don't we?**_

 _Oh, yes, my child. Many secrets._

 _ **Do you have secrets from me, Mother?**_

 _No, I will tell you anything you want to know._

… _ **...You would never lie to me, would you?**_

 _Never, my child. Never._

* * *

Cloud headed into the other room with Zack following behind him.

Cloud was looking at Tifa, confused by the hurt expression she shot his way. What had he done this time? A minute ago she was smiling at him, and now she was angry? Why?

Tifa turned on her heel, swiftly walking out of the room. Yuffie watched her go, sighing. Catching sight of Cloud's confused expression, she gave him a "You seriously don't know?" look.

"Gaia, Cloud! Think about it for a minute." she exclaimed. "Sometimes, guys are so dense!"

Cloud's good mood vanished and gave way to annoyance. "And girls get way too complicated. What's your point?" And he was back to his normal broody self. "I may be enhanced, but I can't read minds Yuffie. I don't know how to fix a problem if I don't know what it is. My strength is rushing into battle and killing monsters!"

Okay, well it was more than brooding; he was irritated and tired and in no mood to try and guess what the problem was, when it seemed Yuffie knew. She should just tell him if it was so obvious.

"You know what, why don't we have a spar," Zack offered as he threw an arm around his friend's shoulder. "A good spar is just what you need to work off that stress, and I'm out of practice... uh..." he smirked sheepishly at the two, "You guys wouldn't have a spare sword I could borrow, would you?"

Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Don't you have, like, 15 swords from our adventures in Sephiroth-butt kicking?" Yuffie asked.

The blond looked to the side, feeling a little embarrassed. "Not anymore. I had to sell them all so I could pay to have the blacksmith on the coast construct First Tsurugi."

Zack blinked, completely lost. "First Saru... _what?_ What the heck is that?"

"My fusion sword," Cloud replied.

"You know, that giant Swiss-army knife." Yuffie blurted out, chuckling, "Well, of course it cost a lot. The thing breaks into... what... 25 little swords?"

"Seven," Cloud corrected, before he gave up and sighed. "You've always got a secret stash of weapons. Don't you have something he can use?"

Yuffie narrowed her gaze at the blond, placing her hands on her hips. "What do I get out of it?"

Cloud knew he was going to regret this...

"You remember that quest you asked for my help on a few months back, and I shot you down cold because I said it was suicidal? I think I may have a way to make it work where we can get out alive and with the treasure you wanted so badly, but only if you follow my lead and don't get greedy. Deal?"

Yuffie's expression changed from questioning to momentary jubilation and excitement before she quickly squashed the expression, adopting a nonchalant demeanor. "I suppose that's acceptable." Forgetting to maintain that demeanor, she jumped in place, clapping her hands and squeaking. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

As he watched her bounce off, Cloud groaned with dread. Sweet Shiva, what had he done?

Zack just gave him a sympathetic smile. "Sorry about that."

Cloud turned to him, blinking in confusion. "What do you have to apologize for?"

"Well, you wouldn't have done that if I didn't need a sword," he replied.

Cloud just shrugged. "She would have pestered me until I said 'yes,' anyway. At least this way I get something out of it."

Zack chuckled. "Guess we're not so clueless after all."

Yuffie returned about 5 minutes later, carrying a rather long bundle in her arms. She unceremoniously unloaded the bundle into Zack's arms. "It's an old one... and it... _might_... look a little familiar, Cloud, but... it's really not."

She grinned, waiting for Zack to "unwrap" his gift.

The two men exchanged looks that mirrored confused innocent children as Zack unwrapped the cloth that was covering it, and when he saw the massive blade he gasped in awe. "What is this?!"

Cloud gasped for another reason.

"That's the Rune Blade!"

He then looked over at the ninja princess.

"Yuffie..." his tone was less than pleased. "I know I sold this, and don't try to say it wasn't the one I had." To prove his point he took it from Zack and with one hand, flicked it with his wrist before spinning it with practiced ease, which confirmed it. The feel was the same; it had definitely been his at one time. "You stole it, didn't you?"

"Tch" Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Cloud, I'm hurt that you would think that of me." Her eyes glinted with mischief. "I would never... Jeez, you're so suspicious!"

Zack decided to intervene before anything spiraled out of control. "Now, come on, Spiky. Give her a break. At least I have a sword, now, and besides, if she didn't, then what would I do? If it was sword you used before then you know its good! You don't strike me as the kind of guy who would use faulty equipment. I'd be honored to wield a sword like this."

Zack winked towards Yuffie.

Cloud gave his friends a stern glare before rolling his eyes with a defeated sigh. They had won the argument. "Fine, but if that shop owner comes after me demanding it back I'm pointing him in your direction, princess."

"You wouldn't be defending him so hard if you'd heard what he said about Tifa," Yuffie mumbled, then raising her voice. "Good! Glad that's settled! Have a nice spar!"

Cloud clearly heard every word, as had Zack; the benefits of enhanced hearing were very useful at times, and it opened Cloud's mind to his past dealings with the man. He had noticed the way he spoke to Tifa and the way he would watch her as she shopped. Cloud didn't think much of it back then; now, it made him bristle with anger, not unlike a cat preparing to challenge another feline for entering its territory.

Zack smirked at his friend's jealousy, which was poorly hidden, and then threw a knowing smirk Yuffie's way.

He then moved behind Cloud and ushered him out the door. "Come on, let's get this spar going! I'm itching to get back into the swing of things, no pun intended," he chuckled. "And then I'm stealing your shower. I bet I'm wearing more dirt than the wastes can hold, and I totally reek!"

Cloud remained silent as he was led away, protesting that he could walk on his own just fine without being guided along.

Cloud was a bit annoyed that he had been forced out of the room when he still wasn't finished dealing with her royal pain in the ass, but he ultimately decided it wasn't worth the aggravation. Instead he focused on answering Zack's question.

"A good place to train? Normally, I get enough practice killing monsters in the wastes, but… we could use the roof."

Zack smiled at the idea. "Lead the way, chocobo!"

It had been some time since anyone dared to compare him to the bright yellow bird, but it was Zack... so he let it slide.

After they made it to the roof, Zack stopped to stretch his muscles and do some squats. Cloud smirked at the familiar action and thought back to when he had to race against another man to see how many squats he could do in the allotted time. He tried to think of the reason why he had to do that… it was in order to… oh, nope! He was _**not**_ going to revisit _**that**_ specific memory.

"You look like you just swallowed a frog," Zack laughed as he saw the expression on his friend's face. "You think too much, you know that? You've always been a thinker."

Cloud smirked as he rolled his shoulders to loosen them up before unsheathing First Tsurugi. "And you would never look before you leap, always careening right into a battle before you had a proper plan and then made it up as you went along."

"Hey, it worked out well in the past," Zack admitted as he picked up the Rune Blade and gave it a few test swings before he and Cloud began circling each other without any given signal.

Both warriors waited for an opening before they struck with a test strike, their blades ringing out like the solid chime of a bell. With practiced ease they moved through the motions. Cloud blocked before countering Zack's side swipe, and Zack had to raise his sword to protect against a downward strike from the blond.

Cloud eventually struck up the conversation again, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"I know you mentioned how much you remember, but is there anything you're confused about?... besides the obvious?"

Zack smirked as he dodged a thrust and returned one in kind, "I remember our whole time on the run, and I'm so grateful you shook off that mako poisoning. You really scared me Spike. Even though I kept you alive, I thought I had lost you."

"You know I'm too stubborn for that," Cloud returned with a smirk as he parried a series of strikes. "What else?"

"I also remember everything that built up to Nibelheim, and the events that took place there. I remember, during the times when I was alone in my cell, if there were things I could have done differently, and maybe no one would have had to suffer from everything going to hell."

"We all make mistakes," Cloud replied in kind.

The two locked blades and pushed against each other, testing their strength.

"Yeah," Zack agreed, "…but mine cost people their lives."

Cloud saw the defeated look his friend had and knew he needed to change the subject. This was supposed to be a fun spar. "Hey, what about that girl you were talking about so much? I remember you kept praising her and wanted to get back to her, though I can't remember where you mentioned her."

Zack brightened up immensely at that. "You remember that? Cloud! I only mentioned her around you when you were sick! You really could hear me!"

The blond smirked, "There were times when my head cleared up, not completely, but enough to remember, even if I couldn't move. I still don't remember everything though."

Zack's smile beamed as he made to do a fist pump when Cloud simultaneously struck with his sword. "Whoa, head's up!"

Zack blocked it with ease and his smile never faded. "Cloud, chill. I didn't become a First Class with my good looks."

The blond chuckled, "Right, that's why according to your fanclub you were such a lady-killer."

Zack chuckled at that, "Gaia, they really said that? That's priceless. But still, I only had eyes for one girl. I wonder if she's still around here?"

"A lot's happened since then, but we can try and find her."

The blond made to take a skilled shot at his friend's side, but Zack blocked him, tripped him, and forced Cloud to land on his back with the business end of the Rune Blade poking his nose. Zack smirked triumphantly at him. "Ready for round two?"

They were deep into their second round, exchanging strikes and blows, blocking and dodging and working up a good sweat when Zack brought up the next serious question.

"So what was that adventure Yuffie mentioned? Something about Sephiroth?"

Oh, this pill wouldn't be easy to swallow, Cloud thought as he prepared to drop the truth. "Sephiroth didn't stay dead after Nibelheim."

"What?!" Zack almost didn't dodge the strike Cloud aimed at him, but the blonde pulled back, careful to make sure they didn't end up injured.

As they continued their spar, Cloud told him, and Zack took it in, not easily and a few times he called out, but when Cloud explained what the ex-general tried to do, Zack could only shake his head. "That's insane!"

They were both getting tired and building up for their final attacks. Cloud prepared to jumped up and come down on Zack when his eyes widened, and he became unfocused. His vision blurred, and he was filled with fear and terror.

" _Harkon!... Harkon!... Hark-_ oud! Cloud! Snap out of it!"

His vision returned, and he was staring down his best friend. Zack was struggling to fend him off as First Tsurugi's deadly edge was a hairs breath away from his head.

Cloud pulled back and gave his friend an apologetic look.

"I don't know what just happened," he admitted.

Zack sighed as he lowered his blade, not seeing the nick in the metal. "You looked totally freaked out, and your eyes, they changed."

"How?" he asked.

Zack shook his head, not wanting to say this. "They looked like Seph's. They were glowing super bright and looked like cat eyes."

"They did?" asked the blond, suddenly nervous by that.

Zack nodded. "Yeah, and you kept mumbling the word 'Harkon.' What the hell is a Harkon?"

"That is us."

Out of the shadows a group of four emerged. They were wearing the same uniforms Cloud and Zack had seen earlier. The blond was not amused.

"This is private property. Get lost."

The supposed leader of the group chuckled, his dimly glowing eyes sizing up the two. "This is the roof of a bar, and a business is public property. We're free to linger here as we please."

Cloud held First Tsurugi out with one arm, effortlessly, making it appear like it didn't weigh a thing! "Only during business hours and also only if the owners allow it. I run my own business here, and I'm telling you nicely, for last time, to get lost."

The lead goon held his hands up in submission. "Alright, alright fine. We'll leave… once we retrieve what's rightfully ours from the lost and found."

The man held up the same photo he had been carrying around and revealed the picture of Angel.

Cloud snarled as he charged at them. "Like hell, you will!"

The men pulled out their guns, not bothering with swords and Cloud prepared to defend himself when-

"Cloud!"

His eyes widened with a new worry, "Marlene!"

The little girl's voice was scared. They had more numbers and were inside the house! Cloud made to dash through the door leading to the stairwell when they opened fire, grazing the warrior's arm and forcing him to turn and block while he tried to prevent them from getting past him.

"You cowards!" Zack shouted as he charged them, but instead of meeting the warrior with a blade or firing his gun, he maneuvered around Zack so fast that the warrior stumbled. The goon then grabbed Zack and flung him over the edge of the building.

"Zack!"

There was a loud crash and glass shattered. A few seconds later, he heard Zack's voice call from beneath him.

"I'm okay," he called out the window. "I'll help them; you take care of those guys!"

Cloud didn't answer as he struck out at the first guy who aimed at him.

* * *

Tifa saw the mirror fall from Angel's hands and shatter on the floor.

"Not him!" Angel gasped, her eyes now glowing green and resembling those of a cat. She remembered seeing them on Sephiroth and later on Denzel.

"Angel! What's wrong?" Marlene cried, trying to shake her out of whatever trance-like state Angel was in.

"Tifa! Help her!" Denzel pleaded. Tifa rushed towards her, using her foot to scrape the broken mirror pieces to the side. Grabbing the terrified woman by the shoulders, she shook her firmly.

"Angel! Talk to me!" she shouted. Angel blinked several times, finally coming out of it. She gazed up at Tifa, her eyes projecting her panic.

"Harkons!" she whimpered, her voice trembling, "...and him."

"Who?" Tifa asked.

"Kane!" Angel responded.

"What are Harkons?"

She watched Angel struggle to find the words but to no avail. Her frustration grew, causing tears to roll down her cheeks. "Danger." she told Tifa desperately, holding back her sobbing. "Danger! Danger! **Danger!** "

Angel slapped her fists against her temples, sobbing. "I'm sorry!"

"We are the Harkons."

Tifa spun around to find four extra people standing inside her house, all except one dressed similarly to the men who had caused trouble in the bar earlier that evening. The fourth man wore a black baggy pants with a black shirt, a dark brown cloak draped over his shoulders. The hood of the cloak concealed the man's head, and the silver mask covered his face.

"Get out of my house!" Tifa hollered at them.

"Gladly," said the masked man, "once you return our property."

"Property?" Tifa argued.

"The woman." he specified.

"Not a chance in hell, you sick bastard!" Tifa growled. "She's not property; she's a person."

The masked man let out a roaring laughter. "Fine. Then we will kill everyone and take her back, anyway."

Tifa dropped into a fighting stance, ready to put up a fight. The three Harkons drew their weapons, pointing them at Tifa.

"Cloud!" screamed Marlene.

At that moment, a large, metal shuriken zipped across the room, slicing through all of the weapons as if they were made of paper.

"Sorry, I'm late," Yuffie announced, emerging from the shadows. She flipped over the three Harkons, retrieving her shuriken, then took her place next to Tifa. "Let's kick butt!"

From above them, Tifa heard Cloud shout one word: "Zack!"

The masked man drew a blade that reminded Tifa of Cloud's Buster sword, and Tifa was just about to enter into battle with him when the window shattered. Flying through it was one Zack Fair, SOLDIER, First Class.

"I'm okay!" he yelled out the window, "I'll help them; you take care of those guys!"

Tifa glance behind her, and when she saw Angel pushing both kids protectively behind her, she resolved to keep Angel away from these goons. As Zack faced off against the masked man, Tifa and Yuffie charged at the three Harkons.

Tifa released a flurry of attacks on one of the Harkons, landing two kicks and an uppercut on him. Harkon #1 retaliated with a roundhouse, which Tifa easily dodged. Yuffie pulled her shuriken back over her shoulder, hitting Harkon #2, who stood behind her, in the head. The impact caused him to stagger backwards, leaving her free to swing her weapon down on Harkon #3. As she completed the maneuver, she pulled something out of her pocket, holding out in her hand in front of her mouth. She blew on it forcefully, and a black dust cloud emerged from her palm, consuming Harkon #3.

Tifa focused on one of the weak points, targeting the solar plexus. As her fist made contact, Harkon #1 starting gasping for air, so she knew she had done it properly. Next, she aimed for the sweet spot on his liver. Bringing her knee up at just the right angle, she thrust her hip to give it more power. The Harkon dropped to the floor, spasming and choking. She lifted her foot and stomped on his temple, and he stopped moving.

Yuffie thrust two fingers into Harkon #3's throat, and he dropped. Turning to face Harkon #2, the ninja threw her shuriken directly at him, but he ducked, causing the shot to miss altogether, however, when he came back up, her returning shuriken hit him from behind, the point sticking into his head. His body collapsed, the shuriken clattering to the ground. Yuffie picked it up with a finger and a thumb.

"Eww..." Yuffie wrinkled her nose, flicking the blood from her weapon, "Bad guy guts!"

* * *

The four men tried to surround Cloud, the blond's eyes darted to lock on each one of them, noting the distance between them and the door. There were other ways into the house, sure, but the stairwell was the most direct approach. They'd have to get past him to get to his family.

The speaker from earlier smirked viciously, while trying to sound sympathetic. "Look, don't make us do this. We know what you did for the planet, and we're grateful."

"Then leave," Cloud retorted.

The man held up a finger. "Hear me out. That woman is dangerous. Surely you've seen how oddly she behaves. She needs help. We're not trying to come off as forceful. We only want to protect the people, just like you. As the new Shinra Poli-"

"Take that false title and shove it! Rufus knows better than to try and enforce a new rule over the people," Cloud cut him off before adjusting the angle of his sword, the moonlight reflecting along the deadly blade, "And he knows better than to mess with me."

Just like that he turned and swiped at the grunt who had been slowly inching closer, trying to get into Cloud's blind spot, but the blond had never lost sight of him. The man seemed to have given up on the idea of feeding him lies as he gestured a signal for an attack pattern as the others moved into formation. Cloud didn't know what they were going to 'try' and do, but he was ready for them.

* * *

Zack glared at the man who stood still as his forces fell to the power of the girls. He was glad Tifa and Yuffie were holding their own, but the man's lack of concern for them was pissing him off.

"You just gonna stand there while your grunts do all the work?"

The man's expression was impossible to read behind the mask, but the body language was enough to show his bored posture. "Oh, you wanted _me_ to fight? So be it."

The man brandished his sword, and Zack drew the Rune Blade. Kane took one critical look at the warrior and chuckled. "Cute."

Zack's eyes were serious and battle-ready, but his smirk was eager and ready to go.

"Then you oughtta find this adorable!" As he rushed the man, Kane brought his sword up to counter, and Zack dropped low, dodging the swing. He wrapped his arms around the man's torso and kept running. They crashed right through the living room window and tumbled out into the street.

Zack stood up and shook the broken glass shards out of his hair. "Aw man! That's the second window I've broken. I hope Tifa has good insurance."

"It won't matter after tonight," Kane grunted as he appeared behind the warrior, and Zack had to tuck and roll out avoid decapitation. He jumped back up to his feet and blinked, checking his spikes.

"Dude, seriously?! You just go for the kill shot right off the bat? Not cool man!"

The cloaked warrior readied his sword again. "Oh? I'm sorry. I thought I'd make your death quick, but if you'd rather suffer, I can do that, too."

He came flying at Zack, and the two exchanged blows.

Zack chuckled. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I just came back from the dead. I sure as hell ain't gonna take another dirt nap anytime soon."

That got a reaction out of the man as he looked up, surprised, if his body posture was anything to go by. "She revived you? So you all know her secret. This changes things."

Zack looked hopeful, "You're gonna leave us alone?"

The man shoved him back with a powerful thrust, yet his voice remained calm. "No, it means everyone within this household will have to die, though it does pain me to lose the hero. Perhaps we can just capture him. I'm sure _**he**_ would have plans for DNA samples."

The moment he started mentioning science talk, Zack became angry, his memories flashing back to his days locked under the mansion. And when he realized the man was talking about taking Cloud as a specimen, it caused rage to flare within the warrior.

With a startling roar, Zack launched himself at the man. Kane saw this coming, and they went at it, powerful blows ringing in the air as the swords struck and collided. Flashes light up the street as sparks flew from the strikes.

Zack had to admit this man was a skilled sword fighter, but he had been taught his swordsmanship by one of the greatest sword masters that ever lived. He wasn't about to lose to some clown in a mask! They parried blows until one powerful blast sent them sliding back, Zack was panting, still tired from the spar, and he still hadn't fully recovered from his long trek through the wastes.

Kane wasn't even breaking a sweat, and Zack cursed him for it.

The warrior then lowered his head, "You're not half-bad, for a dead man."

"Back at'cha," Zack returned as he brought his sword back up, trying not to show how tired he was getting.

Kane chuckled as if he knew something Zack didn't. "This battle's over."

He came charging at Zack, and the warrior mirrored him, their blades clashed. Kane adjusted his strike at the last second. It connected with the Rune Blade, and there was a loud shattering sound as the sword broke into several shards, one of them striking Zack in the torso and causing him to wince in pain. Kane tripped the warrior, forcing him flat on his back. Zack's dusty, tattered sweater vest was turning a noticeably darker shade from where the sword piece had struck, forcing him to hold the wound in pain, as he looked up he saw that he was completely at the warrior's mercy… if Kane had any.

The man circled Zack, his blade hovering just inches above his foe as he sighed with disappointment. "You didn't realize you were fighting with a damaged blade? Pathetic. Playtime's over."

"J-just get it over with," Zack grunted. His mind flashed over the day's events. He had hoped to live a little bit longer this time around, but at least he had seen his friend healthy and strong once again. He got to meet some of his friends and family and it was clear he had a good life ahead of him. He mentally apologized to Aerith for letting her down again, and prepared for the end as Kane stopped and turned his blade to point downward.

Kane started to thrust his sword forward, planning to cut a deep angle into his victim's chest, a merciless and painful ending, but at the last second he stopped.

Zack looked up at him, panting from the pain and the very near end, wondering why Kane stopped. The man was looking down at him, and then he tilted his head upwards as two of the men he had sent to the roof came crashing down, one of them dead. Whether it was from the nasty gash he sported across his chest or the broken neck upon connecting with the ground was anyone guess, and the other wailed in pain from a sickening crunch as he landed. His legs had been shattered from the fall, and he supported a large gash on his arm; he was the luckier of the two.

A flash of silver forced Kane to look further up as the blond warrior flipped in the air to slow his decent and landed in the street glaring at him. He was wielding not one, but two blades and one of them was poised to be thrown right at him.

"Back away from him, or this won't miss."

Kane stood there, seemingly weighing his options. After a moment, he grasped something around his neck and blew into it. A high-pitched noise sounded. "You win this round."

And with that he melded into the shadows and was gone.

Cloud wasted no time rushing to Zack's side, a hi-potion in one hand and a phoenix down in the other. Zack smirked when he realized his friend wasn't taking chances this time.

"Hold still," the blond told him as he carefully removed the shard. The blood flowed freely, and Cloud went to work quickly, using the phoenix down to heal the worst of the injury. He sighed with relief when the feather flared as a warm flame spread over Zack. It covered him in a healing blaze, regenerating any life-threatening wounds before he used the hi-potion next. Zack sat up slowly and coughed as the rejuvenating energy dimmed.

"Damn, am I really that weak that I can't beat some loser in a lame Halloween costume?"

"Considering everything that's happened today I'm surprised you're still conscious."

Zack smirked as he looked at his best bud, concern overtaking his features. The blond shrugged it off though as he stood up and offered a hand. "Can you stand?"

Zack accepted his friend's help and got to his feet. They looked around to ensure the coast was clear before Cloud headed inside to check on everyone else.

Zack went to follow his friend when he heard a grunt coming from the guy who had shattered his knees.

"Hold up, Spike," he called to Cloud as he turned towards the man. Zack had no sympathy for the guy, but he wasn't above offering a fair trade for intel either.

Cloud followed as well, most likely to keep an eye on him, Zack reasoned.

When they saw him they were surprised. Not only were the man's legs shattered, but they were degrading from the injury and it was spreading; the blood looked like the sticky residue from mako.

"Hey, we might be able to help you, just tell us why you're after her. Why's she's so special?" Zack was trying to sound as nice as his current mood would

The injured Harkon looked up at them and spit at Zack. "Harkons don't rat-GULK!"

Out of the shadows zipped a throwing knife that struck his neck, slicing right through his windpipe and his jugular, instantly killing him.

Zack jumped to his feet as Cloud scanned the shadows. He couldn't see anything, but he knew it had to have been them. Suddenly from a shadowed spot two houses down Zack saw it, a shaft of moonlight glinting off the silver mask as the man vanished into the night.

"Come on, let's check on the others," Cloud called to him as Zack started to go after the guy. He realized then that the last thing they needed was to follow such a dangerous foe while they were tired, leaving the rest of the family to fend for themselves. He turned to his best friend and nodded in acceptance. Zack knew that his friend had always had a good sense of judgment and if he turned away from a fight it was probably a good idea.


	7. Nightmares

- **NIGHTMARES** -

 _ **Mother, what is a promise?**_

 _To say you will do something and then to do it._

 _ **Like when I said I would come to find you?**_

 _Yes, like that._

 _ **What if you don't do what you said you would do?**_

 _Then the promise is broken._

 _ **It sounds just like a lie.**_

 _There is a difference._

 _ **What is the difference.**_

 _A lie is told purposefully._

 _ **A broken promise is not a lie?**_

 _Sometimes, it is simply that one lacks the ability to fulfill the promise._

 _ **Why make a promise that you cannot keep?**_

 _One does not always know the extent of one's abilities._

 _ **Mother?**_

 _Yes, my child?_

 _ **I promise that I will find you, one day.**_

 _Your rewards will be endless should you fulfill that promise._

* * *

Steam filled the bathroom as Zack turned on the shower faucet. He was so tired and sore from the day's events, but he needed this. The closest he had come to bathing from before Nibelheim was chancing a dip in a stream or standing under a water fall whenever he could find a good source.

Other than that, it was up to the rain whenever it chose to fall. He set the borrowed clean set of clothes his best buddy let him have down on the sink counter as he peeled off his mucky clothes and stepped into the tub and pulled the curtains closed. The moment the warm water hit him his eyes rolled back into his head. He had forgotten what a relaxing hot shower felt like.

That defeat at the hands of that masked man had sucked, but he had to put it behind him. He was still alive, and able to fight another day. The next time he and the guy clashed blades, Zack swore his wouldn't break again.

* * *

Back in the kitchen, the rest had gathered to go over what had just happened. Tifa came down the stairs after checking on Angel and the kids. Cloud was brewing coffee for everyone to calm their nerves, and Yuffie was sitting at the table tapping her fingers. They all were anxious to actually talk about the night's events; they were waiting for Zack. Yuffie however wasn't so patient.

"So, you guys might have left some stuff out," Yuffie declared, "Who _**were**_ those people? They were pretty tough!"

"Angel called them Harkons," Tifa replied, attempting to sit down. Before she did, she caught sight of the blood on Cloud's arm from the bullet, standing back up to run to his side. She grabbed a nearby rag, ran it under the water, and began dabbing at it.

Cloud's thoughts were troubled. It was a little too coincidental that when he lost focus during the spar, the word, Harkon, repeated in his mind like some kind of chant _, and then the next few minutes they appeared. Was someone trying to warn him mentally? If so, then who sent the message?_

"Hmm?" Cloud looked over to his right when he noticed Tifa pressing a cloth over his arm. "Thanks."

He had forgotten about such a light injury after taking on four goons and rushing in to save Zack. He wouldn't lie to himself and say it wasn't such a rewarding feeling to successfully save him this time.

Tifa stared down at him, her expression softening as she tended his wound. "Angel was terrified... and frustrated. She kept yelling 'Danger' and 'Harkon' over and over."

Yuffie spoke up as she snatched up another cupcake. "So those guys were Harkons? I mean... they said they were."

"Harkon? That's what Cloud kept mumbling on the roof," came Zack's voice as he entered the doorway drying his hair with a towel. The jeans that fit loosely on Cloud fit him perfectly, and the blue men's tank top fit well too.

Cloud just shrugged his shoulders, but winced slightly at the sting when the action accidentally forced Tifa to press harder on the wound. "I think someone was trying to warn me, but I have no idea who. It was so hushed, I could barely hear it, until you snapped me out of it."

He then looked to the girls for any ideas.

"Sorry." Tifa whispered, lifting the cloth momentarily. "What do you mean... someone was trying to warn you. We were all downstairs. How could anyone have warned you?"

Zack let the towel rest around his shoulders as he reached over for another cupcake and took a bite. "I didn't hear any warning either, but his eyes were glowing pretty bright... and they looked like a cat's."

Cloud sighed as he didn't even try to deny that fact. He knew it shouldn't be ignored, but he still didn't like to talk about it. He gave Tifa an apologetic look.

"I think..." he mentally scolded himself for not being honest with her. "Today, I've been getting these weird thoughts. Ones just like the message about those enemies. I think... someone's trying to get in my head."

Tifa delicately dabbed at the wound, trying to give him a reassuring look.

"You heard the warning in your head," she summarized. She glanced through the doorway at Angel, who was learning more words with the kids. "Do you think it's Angel? I mean, she can bring people back from the dead... we don't know what other abilities she has."

Cloud blinked as he looked up and over in the girl's direction. It hadn't escaped his notice that she was only paying partly attention to the kids, returning to her scared and reclusive manner once more. If it _**was**_ her, it was probably the best outcome. At least, he hoped she wouldn't try to take over his mind.

Cloud physically shook his head. What was he thinking? Of course, she would only try to help. She had made that clear when she revived both Denzel and Zack.

He reached over with his good arm to pull down three mugs for coffee because he was not about to give Yuffie any caffeine. That was a lesson he had learned the hard way.

"I think we can all agree on one thing," Zack piped up. "Those guys will be back, and next time they won't let their presence be known before they strike."

Cloud nodded before his eyes flashed with an idea. "And you need a proper sword, one that won't break."

"But you said you sold all your other swords," Zack reminded him.

"Not all of them," was his reply, "I still have my first one."

"So what are we going to do? Are we still going to Costa del Sol? We can't stay here." Tifa asked.

He looked at Tifa. "No, you're right. They're obviously not afraid to attack in the city. We should probably head out first thing tomorrow morning. A tourist resort would be something they hopefully wouldn't expect us to do."

He then smirked to the brunette at his side, "After all, whose crazy enough to go on vacation after that?"

Zack grinned as he watched the two. "So we're going to Costa del Sol? Sweet! Last time I was there I had to fend off a pack of enemies with nothing but an umbrella and my swim trunks. Guess who won?" He laughed.

Tifa nodded, putting the final dressing on Cloud's wound. "Good. Tomorrow, you two go do what you need to do. I'll pack up some things and get us ready to go."

"You're going to Costa del Sol?" Yuffie's eyes glinted.

Cloud "Mmmhmmm'ed" a reply as he drank from his mug, hoping the caffeine would work a little bit before the mako in his bloodstream burned it off quickly. Most of the time it never worked; he mainly liked the flavor of the sweet vanilla, especially when Tifa brewed it.

"Your best bet is probably to stick with us for now," he added after he swallowed. "They'll be after you too. I heard that masked man say that to Zack when they were fighting down below."

Zack nodded. "Yeah, he did and if I'm being honest I'm a bit nervous. The guy was strong. I've gone up against a lot of powerful enemies, but this guy... I think he's on par with a First Class."

Cloud looked over at Zack and couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You think he's on Sephiroth's level?"

Zack shook his head. "No, not quite, but not far off either. He feels more like he'd be on Genesis or Angeal's level."

Yuffie's expression was, for the briefest of moments, fearful... but only for that moment. Soon, she readopted her happy-go-lucky face. "So, you want me to come with you to Costa de sol? Admit it! You want me for my awesome skills as a great ninja warrior. Sure, I'll help you out."

"We appreciate it, Yuffie," Tifa smiled.

Cloud smirked as he rolled his eyes. He knew she was scared, but he couldn't blame her... and he was relieved. Not only was it helpful to have that extra support, but she was where he could ensure her safety. He'd never tell her, because she'd take full advantage of it, but he often thought of her as a little sister. "Just make sure you steal _**their**_ materia and not ours this time... if they even have any. I didn't see a single one among them."

"Me neither," Zack replied, obviously thankful.

Cloud rinsed his cup out before looking over the dressings on his arm. He then smiled at Tifa. "Thanks, Teef."

Zack gently nudged Yuffie and smirked at the display.

The blond then headed into the living room next, where the kids had jut taught her what a puppy was.

"She already knows what Zack looks like," he lightly joked, looking over his shoulder.

"Hey, I heard that, Chocobo!" Came the sarcastically offended remark from his friend.

Cloud knelt down in front of her, not wanting to frighten her with his question, but he needed to know for sure, but first questions first: "Are you okay?"

Angel stared into his eyes, clearly still very worried. "Harkons... want me go back... no go back... please, no go back."

She looked at his bandage, her eyes widening. "They... hurt you! I'm sorry!"

He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, "Hey, calm down. it's alright. We won't let them take you back."

Cloud hated how scared she was, even now after they were gone. Sure, they were a problem, and needed to be dealt with, but there was no way Cloud would be able to live with himself if he let her go back to whatever hell she escaped from.

He then shook his head and chuckled. "This is nothing; it'll be healed by tomorrow, especially with Tifa's healing remedies." He flexed his injured arm just to show her it wasn't a big deal. "See? It's feeling better already, I don't even feel the pain."

"Cloud's made of tough stuff Angel," Denzel chimed in. "He once took down a giant dragon in the middle of the city, while saving me and Tifa from other monsters and falling debris!"

"It wasn't that impressive," Cloud retorted.

"Are you kidding? We would've died then if you hadn't swooped in like you did." The boy wasn't going to let this go.

"Well, when you put it that way..."

Angel smiled watching the exchange between the two.

"Impressive." she repeated. She then took on a very serious expression. "Harkons... more strong... more... hurry?..." she shook her head, knowing that was not the right word.

"Fast?" asked Marlene, trying to help.

"Yes," Angel nodded. "More fast... and Kane... more _**more**_ strong."

Cloud huffed at that. "I don't know who this Kane is, but I doubt he's as strong as Sephiroth. I've beaten that... man... three times and once before I had my mako strength. If I can take down the general of SOLDIER with nothing more than pure determination then I think I can handle anything these Harkons can throw at me."

"Yeah," Denzel cheered offering his guardian and hero a fist bump to which Cloud returned.

The blond stopped then, slowly retracting his fist after the gesture. "What happened to your eye?"

The smile quickly vanished from the boy's face, and he looked down.

"I... I got in a fight," the pre-teen admitted quietly.

Cloud felt his adrenaline rise again, fresh from a fight, but then he calmed his nerves with a deep sigh through his nose, letting it fade away. "Denzel... I'm sure Tifa's already given you a lecture, so I'll spare you mine... most of it anyway. Want to talk about it?"

"I know you said that fighting should only be as a last resort," Denzel said, "but I just couldn't... let him talk about her like that, Cloud! I couldn't!"

Cloud reached a hand over to Denzel and placed it strongly on his shoulder. "Whoa, steady there, Denzel. Start from the beginning. Who said what about who?"

Denzel took a breath and let it out. "Doran Billings was waiting for his mom to pick him up while we were waiting for Tifa. He started running his mouth about how we get special treatment because you saved the world. Me and Marlene... we ignored him. But then, he started talking about Tifa... called her a... well... called her a really bad word."

His face flushed as he recalled the incident.

"He said you would never want her cuz she's... used," Denzel explained, "so I slugged him... and we got into a fight until the principle came and broke it up."

He looked at Cloud pleadingly. "I just couldn't help it. He made me so mad!"

Cloud took it all in, letting the boy have his say, but his expressions betrayed him. What was said about Tifa... he felt very offended and angry, but none of it was directed towards Denzel. The boy had acted... in all honesty, just as Cloud would have acted... and had done in the past when the kids in his hometown used to talk trash about his mother because she was a single parent.

With a warm, proud look in his eyes he turned his attentions back to Denzel.

"Obviously Tifa's already handled this, so I've got nothing to say to make you feel worse, and in all honesty, while it wasn't right what you did, your heart was right where it should be."

He then became more serious. "I'd bet Gil to gysahl greens he wouldn't be complaining if it were the other way around and **he** were getting special treatment."

He then leaned in closer, "Though, I doubt he'd survive it, because his morals aren't as strong as yours."

He then shook his head, irritated by the way some random kid thought Tifa would go that route. Billings... where had he heard that name before? Then it came to him. That was the name of the shopkeeper where Cloud had sold his Rune Blade... the same shopkeeper that Yuffie mentioned had some unpleasant things to say about Tifa. "Billings... sounds like I need to pay that shopkeeper a visit."

There were a good few years time when he and Tifa had been apart, but one thing he knew for certain: in all the years he had known her, there was never a time when she showed herself as anything other than genuine, and her motives were always pure. He never once asked if there had been other suitors, and he didn't have to. She was loyal, and if there had been they would have come back, but no one ever had. It was one of the things that helped him hold onto hope.

He focused his attention back on Denzel. "Since I'm your guardian, I can spoil you however I want. Next time I'll be picking you up from school and we'll see how that plays out."

Denzel nodded, obviously being harder on himself than anyone else could be. "I know. I shouldn't have let him get to me... but no one talks about my family like that."

Cloud smirked at him, "Hey, we all have to pick our battles. There are plenty of times when it's best to walk away, but here's a bit of truth you'll eventually learn on your own. Even as an adult you'll never grow out of that. I've caused a few bleeding noses in my day, and received my fair share in return. Learn to channel that anger on something that really poses a threat. I'll take you out to a monster-filled area some time and show you what I mean. You could use practice with other weapons."

"Okay, who are you, and what have you done with Spiky?" asked Zack as he made his way into the living room.

"What do you mean?" the blond asked, confused as he turned to his friend.

Zack merely placed his hands on his hips. "Since when did you become such an inspirational life coach? You used to be such a shy, timid kid with self-esteem issues, and now you're this confident big shot who boasts his power and can definitely back it up."

Cloud just shrugged. "It's been a long day, and I've taken down what feels like a small army. With everything going on, it's tough just keeping my sanity in check."

Zack chuckled. "Okay, hero, cool your jets. I just wanted to ask a few questions."

Cloud shook his head as he jerked a thumb towards the closet in the wall. "Pillows and Blankets are in there. You can crash on my bed for the night and Yuffie can have the pull-out chair."

"Wait, if I take your bed then where will you sleep?"

Cloud glanced over towards the kitchen and fought to suppress a blush. He was going to ask her naturally, but he just felt like he needed to be closer to Tifa tonight.

He looked down at Angel then and tried to make sure he didn't seem angry or bothered by what he was about to ask her, which he wasn't, but she had already gone through enough tonight. "Angel, was it... was it you who warned me of the Harkons before they showed up?"

Angel nodded and placed her finger gently on his temple. "Connected."

Cloud sighed with relief then. "I'm glad it was you. It's not the first time someone's tried to get into my head; last time they tried to control me into almost hurting my friends."

It was a memory he wish he could forget. He still wasn't sure if it was Sephiroth or Jenova that had tried to overtake him. It very well may have been both, but that was in the past. He just wanted to know so he could stop worrying. He also didn't want her to think he was mad at her. "If you need me, I'll be upstairs."

He nodded to the kids. "Bedtime... we leave an hour before dawn if we want to make the first few ferries."

Angel smiled at him, glancing quickly at the kids. "Good night... Cloud."

He smiled kindly at her. "Goodnight, Angel."

* * *

Cloud followed the kids upstairs leaving Zack to watch him go and smile. "You know, I think this is the first time I've ever really seen him happy. He was always so hard on himself before. Full of self doubt, and Gaia knows how long he carried the blame of Nibelheim on his shoulders. I'm sure he blamed himself from what happened to me, too, but I think what you've been doing has helped him heal a lot better." He turned to her then and smiled. "Thank you."

"You're welcome... Zack." she said slowly. Thinking about it for a moment, she added, "Doubt... what does it mean?"

Zack had to think about that one for a minute. It wasn't hard to explain; he just wanted to make sure she understood. "Doubt is when you have a lack of faith in something or someone. Like if someone said to you they'd meet you in the kitchen for breakfast and didn't show up, and the next day they promised the same thing, and you doubted they'd be there." He then sighed as he headed into the closet to pull out the extra sheet and pillow. "Self doubt is a bit different. It's when you believe you, yourself, aren't good enough to do something."

The explanation and the following revelation painted a shocked expression on her face. "Cloud... self doubt?" She could hardly believe it.

Zack growled at the sheets as he wrestled them out of the closet. "Yeah, he told me so on the roof, that he doubted himself for the longest time. He felt like a failure for letting his friends down." He then winked at her, "But I straightened him out. I told him if he ever doubted himself again I'd knock him out and stick him in a chocobo coop. That earned me a bruise on my side from where the flat of his sword smacked me," he laughed.

He then grinned at her. "You don't have to worry about him, Angel. He owes a lot to you and he just doesn't know how to say it. He can save the world as many times as he wants, but he'll still be that shy country boy from the backwater town."

* * *

Cloud made sure the kids were in bed and that they weren't still upset from this night's events. He gulped back his nerves and knocked on Tifa's bedroom door. "Tifa?"

When she opened the door, he could see that her hair was a bit messy, and she was dressed in a tank top and a pair of shorts. "Cloud? Is something wrong?"

He saw how disheveled she looked, like she had just rolled out of bed and he instantly felt guilty. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't." she said a little too quickly, then added, "I was just relaxing. I'm too hyped up to fall right asleep."

He felt a little better, but it still didn't help his nerves any. "If it's not any trouble... I mean... the thing is..." _Gaia, why couldn't he SAY IT?!_ "I sort of let Zack have my bed tonight, and Yuffie's hogging the chair... so I was wondering if maybe... you wouldn't mind... that is..." He mentally slapped himself; He had just boasted what a powerful warrior he was, yet now he was acting like a shy little boy, the same one that fell for her all those years ago. "Would you mind if I crashed with you tonight?" He was still a nervous wreck, but at least he finally got it out.

"Yes!" she blurted out instantly. She took a slow breath. "Of course."

He felt a bit sheepish when she raised her voice like that. He hoped he hadn't annoyed her with his dumb shyness that would forever haunt him. "Th-thanks," he replied, stepping into her room as she stepped to the side. He noticed which side of the bed was hers from the direction the sheets had been tossed and made to choose the other side. "I promise, I won' take up much room."

"It's fine," she smiled, shutting the door and following behind him. She was about to say something when one of her feet caught on the other and down she went, on her way to kiss the floor.

She never even made it half way as Cloud swooped in to catch her. He knew she was strong; her power and skill had never slowed him down and often times finished off any foes he couldn't kill in one hit. They had been through a lot, and with this recent attack he wanted to make sure she wasn't hiding any injuries or pain from him. He swore he'd protect her, but he didn't want her to think she needed to act tough and hide her pain in front of him. He wanted to convey this so badly, but words always failed him, so he tried with his eyes, offering her the most heartfelt and worried expression he had. "I've got you."

Her voice was breathy and soft. "I know."

His nerves faded as a small smile grew. He secretly vowed that as soon as this nightmare was cleared up, he'd make it up to her. "Looks like we both need the rest, huh? Come on. We'll have to get an early start in the morning." He helped her back to her feet before he looked sheepish again, but it was different from before, "Just don't tell anyone this, but I'm barely keeping my eyes open. That coffee saved me from face planting right in the kitchen."

She chuckled. "So I'm not the only one who feels like I've lived about 3 months in one day?"

He returned the chuckle with a small laugh of his own as he sat down on the edge of the bed and took off his boots, shoulder guards and pretty much everything except for his pants. He then laid down and sighed with comfort, able to finally relax. "Guess we're both great at hiding our exhaustion."

Laying down on the bed, she slid herself under the covers. "I guess so," she agreed, laying on her side to face him.

He smirked at her as he laid on his back and turned his head towards her as his eye lids slid shut. "Night, Teef," he whispered as he slowly drifted off to sleep. The day had been rough, but he had gained so much. He felt like the champion everyone praised him as for once, and it was a nice feeling.

* * *

 _He didn't know where he was... it was cold... white... dark. Looking down at himself, he noticed that his hands were not his own... nor any other part of him. He felt alone... oppressed... frightened... and a sense of panicked anticipation. In front of him was a large, glass wall, and he gasped as he saw the ghostly reflection on it: the image of Angel. He was seeing everything from her eyes... Suddenly, the fluorescent lighting came on, and a few laboratory technicians entered the room. And the scene melted away into a new, more terrifying one._

 _She was strapped down inside a long glass box, wires crossed over her. The sound of medical monitors beeping... clicking... humming. A plastic tube had been inserted down her throat, forcing her to breathe in rhythm with a machine. She could see small holes in the side of the box, and a sense of dread crept from within her as the box began lowering. She wanted to scream, but the tube in her throat wouldn't allow it. She could feel it coming... the green water that burned... that sometimes dissolved her skin. She saw the cyan reflecting off the glass._

 _The liquid began pouring in through the holes, wetting her back first. The burning sensation was scalding. It was like laying in a pool of lava and then dousing the burns with alcohol. Tears poured out of her eyes as the level rose higher. The acidic water entered her nose, ears, and mouth, and she squeezed her eyes shut to protect them. The pain steadily grew, but no matter how she tried, she couldn't even moan._

 _The scene faded into a new one. She sat on a hard, metal chair in front of a steel table. Both legs and arms were restrained to the chair. A lab technician stood over her, holding a pill._

" _Eat." the technician said, trying to place the pill in her mouth._

 _She shook her head defiantly, keeping her lips sealed._

" _Eat." the technician repeated, attempting again. She stood her ground, refusing._

" _Punishment." the technician warned. The fear blossomed out from the pit of her stomach. What would it be today? Suddenly, a powerful shock erupted from the back of her neck, and her body convulsed for a few seconds. When she finally stilled, the technician popped the pill in her mouth and covered it and her nose. She couldn't breathe!_

" _Eat."_

 _She struggled, the panic rising and overtaking her. A gray color began to form in her vision, so she finally swallowed. The pill burned as it traveled down her esophagus and continued to burn in her stomach. The slight burning became a flame... the flame became an inferno of agony._

 _A flash of another day in the glass box..._

 _The scene faded into a new one. She sat in a white room with very high ceilings and observation windows on all sides. She lay on a cold table, strapped down while a scientist gave her injection after injection, filled with the green water... in the same area of her shoulder. So many of them. The technician then picked up a very thick needle. Without a word, he jammed the needed into her arm, driving it into the bone by striking it with a hammer. She shrieked as the needle bored in and then sucked out a dark reddish-brown substance with flecks of glowing turquoise mixed in. The technician repeated this process three more times, one for each limb. She sobbed and screeched, hoping it would end soon._

 _A flash of another day in the glass box..._

 _The scene faded into a new one. She sat in the middle of a very cold room wearing nothing but that gown. The temperature continued to plummet, and her feet and hands grew numb. She had stopped shivering hours ago. Her eyes were so heavy that she could no longer hold them open._

 _A flash of another day in the glass box..._

 _The scene faded into a new one. She sat on the cold, hard floor. A man with red hair stared at her from behind the observation window, apparently very upset. A technician stood next to her, wielding a nasty-looking whip. Her back was so raw and bloody, but he wouldn't stop hitting her._

 _A flash of another day in the glass box..._

 _The scene faded into a new one. She was a little girl now, sitting in a room next to a little boy with long, silver hair. A lab technician approached her and grasped her arm, pulling her to stand up. He must have used a little too much strength because she released a cry of pain. The little boy stood up, ready to react._

" _Sit!" the lab technician shouted._

" _No!" the boy shouted._

" _Punishment!" the lab technician warned, but the boy refused to listen. The lab technician removed a rod from his lab coat and flicked a small switch on it. The rod came to life with electricity._

" _Sit!" the lab technician commanded._

" _NO!" the boy screamed, thrusting his hand towards the technician, who suddenly burst into flames. The boy ran forward and seized her hand, pulling her away from the fire and embracing her. Four more technicians and two Harkons entered the room, and one of the Harkons wore a silver mask. The boy stepped in front of her protectively and thrust out both hands towards the technicians. Out of his fingers shot lightning that not even a thundaga spell could produce. All four technicians convulsed and collapsed._

 _The Harkons pulled out tranquilizer guns and unloaded them in the boy, who collapsed but was still conscious. The Harkon with the silver mask dashed forward and snatched the girl's arm, dragging her from the boy. She screamed and shrieked, reaching for the boy... trying to get back to him, but the Harkon carried her further and further away until she could no longer see him._

 _Flashes of pain, injections, the glass box, lashings, shocks, carving with scalpels, sleep deprivation, cold exposure, isolation... and one man's face... red hair... cold, blue eyes caused the fear to grow to absolute hysterical panic... releasing itself in the form of a blood-curdling scream..._

* * *

The Seventh Heaven building was finally quiet after a day of complete insanity. Some of it normal and good, but a lot of it unusual and downright unsettling. The living room was in disarray, with things broken and scattered across the floor. It would be cleaned, but not while Yuffie gently snored on the chair, her legs hanging off the side and she was drooling as she turned over in her sleep. A vision most unbecoming of a princess, her father would always say.

Angel was tossing and turning on the couch, her sleep troubled. Marlene and Denzel were sleeping soundly and Zack was sleeping lightly. Waking up every twenty minutes or so, out of sheer habit from his time on the run. It would take him a while to break that habit, he knew, but it was nice not to feel hunted by the entire force of Shinra now. He knew they were still targets, though.

Suddenly, from upstairs, the sound of Cloud's scream met Zack's ears.

 _They were in trouble!_

He dashed up the stairs, remembering that he no longer had a usable sword. Eyes darting around at the top of the stairs, Zack looked for anything that might pass for a weapon... and saw First Tsurugi leaning against the wall of the bedroom.

* * *

At first it was a quiet moaning, a few twitches from his sword hand, but that soon changed as the dream progressed. His head jerked from side to side, his hands clenching into fists and his heart began to race with battle energy surging.

Finally, at the end he jolted upright in bed, screaming with rage and pain as his fist slammed down on the nightstand next to the bed, reducing the top half to splinters and causing the two front legs to snap and collapse

Snapping up, Tifa jumped at the show of violence.

"Cloud?!" she cried, "Cloud, it's... it's all right!"

She stood up on her knees, inching closer to him and gently... and tentatively... placing her hands on his shoulders

His eyes were glowing brightly, wild and unfocused as he panted, _"So much mako..."_ Something soft and comforting grasped his shoulders, and he didn't even try to regain focus of his vision. He instinctively latched into it with his own arms, grasping those hands firmly, like an anchor to safety. Then the voice reached him, and his eyes dimmed allowing his vision to return. When he finally focused, he saw Tifa looking terrified, but she was also really close. Her hands were gripping his shoulders, and his hands were gripping hers. A sorrowful expression stole across his face as he lessened his grip.

"Tifa?... I didn't... hurt you, did I?"

It had been so long since his night terrors had been that vivid, but this time, it made it worse because these weren't his own. Regardless, he knew when he awoke from them he would see the damage he had caused, unintentionally. It was one of the reasons why he stashed his sword on the other side of the room to prevent his own unconscious efforts to grasp the hilt and cause building-collapsing level damage.

"No, you didn't hurt me," she tried to reassure him. She met his eyes and kept her hands on his shoulders.

He sighed with relief hearing that. It was one of the fears that always plagued him and why it had taken him so long to admit his true feelings, even to himself. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her in any way, and these night terrors had been the biggest reason. It had been so long since they had happened that he'd hoped was finally rid of them. This one was different though, and it made him angry. He felt the fear, and sympathized with it, but it wasn't his own.

"What... what happened?" she asked.

While his mind tried to calm down, his body was still shaken, and he could feel his arms trembling. His limbs and back, particularly his shoulder blades, had always been of keen interest to Hojo; looking back, after the wing Sephiroth had sprouted, he realized why. He started to panic again as those memories tried to surface, but he fought to focus on Tifa. She was the only thing keeping him grounded right now.

She watched the flurry of emotions blaze through him, and pulled him towards her, holding him as tightly as she could in a comforting embrace.

"It's okay." she whispered.

The moment she pulled him into the embrace, a warm calm washed over him, like cleansing ocean waves. His heart rate instantly slowed and returned to normal, and his breathing slowly evened out. He closed his eyes and took in her strong presence. Nothing else in the world mattered at that moment, and no one else existed. It was just him and her.

Heavy footsteps rushed to the door, and Cloud's formerly panicked mind instantly reacted. Pulling Tifa behind him, he grabbed one of the broken shards of wood from the nightstand and aimed it at the door. Zack busted in with Cloud's Fusion Sword, poised to strike any intruders, only to stop and stare at the two. It was the most awkward moment Cloud had suffered. It was on par with the moment at the Don Corneo's mansion, when Tifa realized the girl with Aerith that came to rescue her was really Cloud.

"Uhh..." Zack was at a loss for words as he blushed with embarrassment, probably thinking he might have interrupted something. "I am so sorry. I heard a shout and..." His blush turned a darker shade of red when he saw the wooden spike. "Are you role playing a vampire?"

Now it was Cloud's turn to blush. "It's not what it looks like! Get your mind out of the gutter!" He then stopped and glanced behind him, just now realizing how close they had been and how intimate it had felt. It was the closest he had been to her in years, and he couldn't put words into it, it just felt... _right._

Tifa blushed, rolling her eyes and smirking at Zack. "It was just... a nightmare, Zack." Though she was now behind him, she left one hand on Cloud's shoulder. "Sorry we woke you."

Zack lowered the sword, scratching the back of his head. "Must've been some nightmare. I'll go check on the kids; they're probably confused and worried. Um, goodnight." With that he left, while setting the sword against the far wall.

Cloud sighed as he tossed the wooden shard to the corner of the room where no one would step on it, before running a had over his face. "That could have gone better."

He then turned his attention back over to Tifa, unsure how she felt after that. He felt much better now, but he didn't want to scare her anymore. If she wanted him to leave, he would, even if he still felt the need to be close to her.

As he turned, she smiled at him. She let her palm run down his arm until she held his hand in hers. "You want to talk about it?"

His fears and self doubt melted away by her touch. It was so easy to get lost in her ruby red eyes, and he felt himself instantly pacified. Now came the hard part: talking. The old him would have shied away and either turned over to go back to sleep or left. He wasn't that person anymore. Tifa's many lectures about running away and accepting his fears had finally sunk in, and he owed it to her to open up more, even if he sucked at it.

So with a deep sigh to steel himself he told her the dream, in the clearest detail he could. A lot of it was fogged in a green mist, not unlike the time when he suffered from mako poisoning.

"But... it wasn't me this was happening to. I'm pretty sure it was Angel," he finished. "If she returns to them, she'll suffer more of that... and probably worse...we can't let that happen."

Tifa blinked, staring at him for what seemed like the longest time.

"Wait, you said she was being pulled away from someone... you mean there might be others in that place?" she finally said.

Cloud rubbed his forehead as he tried to focus on that person. They had been so blurry he couldn't tell if it was a boy or girl, he or she had long hair, but only the voice gave him away as a young boy. Cloud was bothered by the abilities he had but realized he had been trying to protect Angel, and he was scared, trying to lash out and escape... _just like he and Zack had done..._ "I don't know... I want to ask her, but I don't want to send her into a panic with these memories."

He took her hand in his and gently rubbed against the top of it with his thumb. "What do you think about all this?"

"I know you don't want to push her," she began, softening her voice, "but what if it's someone she cares about? You said she was screaming as they took her from him." She sighed, placing her other hand over his. "If there are others in this horrible place, we need to help them... don't we?"

Cloud nodded in agreement. She was right, as usual. He could just barely remember the early days under Hojo's _care,_ how he wished someone would rescue him and Zack, whenever he wasn't overwhelmed by the realization that his entire village was dead. The fear that plagued him most was memory of seeing Tifa laying there at the reactor, bleeding out from a wound on her torso. He glanced down at the old injury. Only a scar still existed, but it still bothered him to know how close she came to death that night.

He swore that she would never come that close, ever again, even if it came down to giving up his own life, he'd do it without a second thought.

"We do," he replied with a determined resolve. "If there's a chance we can get them out of that hell then I'll find away."

She smiled at him. "We can try talking to her tomorrow. We need some sleep, right now. " She took a breath, tilting her head. "Unless you think she's awake right now."

Cloud really didn't want to get out of her bed... not when they had finally seemed to become more open with each other. Before, Tifa would back away when he woke up from such a nightmare, but tonight she had pulled him closer. He couldn't find the words to tell her, afraid she'd think he was losing it again by offering the possibility that it may happen again, but he'd be lying if he said he wanted her to do anything different. Just being near her was like a healing embrace; a constant shower of cure being cast over him, and he relished in it.

But then he thought about Angel and how she most likely had the same dream he did, if they were as connected as the girl had explained. She didn't need to suffer that alone. "I'd better go check on her. I had you to comfort me, but all she has is Yuffie and we both know how bad she is with comforting others about that, if she even woke up at all." He blushed when he realized he had admitted to being comforted by her and cleared his throat as he got out of bed. "I'll be back in a little bit."

"I... I could come with you... if you want," she suggested.

It was small, barely even there, but those who knew him best would be able to tell he was smiling with relief. He was barely able to come out of that nightmare on his own. What good would he be to someone else? Tifa coming along, on the other hand, would make it so much easier. He didn't trust his words at that point and simply nodded.

She inched herself off the bed, hesitantly releasing his hand.

"Let's mosey." she quipped, smirking at him.

Cloud spluttered at her choice of words. "You guys are never going to let that go, are you?" He tried to act annoyed, but he was smiling.

That smile vanished when he stepped into the living room.


	8. Holy Confusion

- **HOLY CONFUSION** -

 _ **Mother, what is a friend?**_

 _It is an illusion._

 _ **I don't understand.**_

 _A friend is one who cares for you but is not of your family._

 _ **Why is it an illusion?**_

 _All humans will abandon you to save their own lives._

 _ **And friends do not do this?**_

 _No._

 _ **Mother?**_

 _Yes, my child?_

 _ **What is a family?**_

 _We are a family._

 _ **We are?**_

 _Never forget that, my child._

* * *

 _Angel was in a place she didn't recognize. It was cold, and the chilled breeze bit at her skin, or whatever skin was showing. She looked at herself in a mirror as she passed by it and saw a uniform. She jumped back from it at first, fearing it was a Harkon, but as she looked closer she saw the uniform was different, including the helmet. Her head was so itchy, she wanted to take it off, but for some reason, that motor control wouldn't obey._

 _"Hey, native, get your ass out there! It's your shift to take watch," barked another person dressed the same. Angel wasn't sure what to make of him but words replied to the man startled her when they turned out to be her own... yet it wasn't her voice._

 _"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming."_

 _She slung the rifle over her shoulder and made it outside. The frosty night air hit her hard in the exposed portion of her face, but she marched forward. Passing by the water tower she stopped and looked up at it. It wasn't that impressive and looked like it needed several pieces replaced, but there was a strong fondness for it, she felt, perhaps from this body's original owner?_

 _Suddenly, she noticed someone sitting up there. She wore a cowgirl outfit complete with boots and hat. That person, noticing Angel standing there, jumped down, and to her surprise, it was Tifa!_

 _"Hey, your turn to take watch, right?"_

 _Angel felt the body nod in response._

 _Tifa tried to strike up a conversation. "Sephiroth seemed really upset for the past few days. Zack said he hasn't left the mansion. I'm curious as to what could be there that's so fascinating. It's just a dusty old abandoned house." She then glanced over at Angel, and the girl could feel the body tensing up._

 _"You know, your other infantry friend was really rude and loud, but you haven't uttered a sound. You don't have to be nervous. This town is backwater, but no one will slam a door in your face, at least not me... and my neighbor Ms. Strife is really sweet. She makes the best cupcakes! She even gave me her recipe! I told her I'd bake some for her son whenever he returned."_

 _Angel was curious to know who she meant when she felt a deep guilt wash over her. Why was this person so guilty to hear about yummy cupcakes and feel this insane urge of loneliness and regret? Unless…_

 _Angel was about to force this person to ask further, but then the image before her changed and shifted. Now the town was in flames, people were screaming. Angel mentally squeaked and wanted to run, but this person was rooted to the spot with fear and rage._

 _Over in the distance she looked and saw him. A man with long silver hair, glowing green eyes and an even longer sword. He had just stepped out of a house and made his way north. Fear overcame Angel then as the person rushed towards the house, jumping right through the burning doorway, and shouted when they saw a woman laying on the floor. "Mom!"_

 _Sliding towards the woman, Angel felt the helmet being ripped away as it was dropped to the side. In its reflection she saw short, blond spikes._

 _"Mom! Mom, oh please, wake up."_

 _But the woman gave no response. Her face, covered with soot was permanently frozen with pure terror before she started to glow green as the Lifestream called her home. Angel and the person watched until the woman was gone before she stood and reached for the helmet. Placing it back on, she turned and headed for the door. Once outside, she looked around at the burning houses. People weren't screaming now. Did this mean the man had killed them?_

 _"SEPHIROTH!"_

 _She turned, startled by the shout as Zack appeared, looked around and raced towards the reactor. She followed._

 _The trek up there flew by in a blur, and the next thing she knew she was gazing down at a bleeding Tifa. The wound was bad, and she would die if not treated soon._

 _"I'm sorry… I… I was too late…" the voice quivered with pain and sorrow. It reminded Angel of when Denzel apologized for failing to protect Marlene. The person she was seeing the events through took his scarf and put pressure on the wound before tying it around her tightly. Picking up Tifa, the person set her down in a more secluded place and then turned towards the stairs. She saw a giant sword resting at the base where Zack had dropped it, the warrior in question was bleeding on the stairwell, defeated and broken._

 _Picking up the sword, Angel slowly made her way up to the room marked Jenova. She didn't know why that name struck such a fearful chord in her, but it did. She came right through the doorway which no longer had doors and walked up the giant wires where the madman was standing._

 _"Now Mother, there is nothing else standing in our way. Let us journey to the promise land together…"_

 _He stopped talking when the sword was thrust through his side, cracking the glass as well._

 _"Curse you…" the man seethed._

 _Angel recognized the voice then when he spoke with a determined resolve. "Tifa… my mother… my hometown… why…?" There was a pause before he threw off his helmet. "Why, Sephiroth?! I looked up to you! I trusted you!"_

 _He then ripped the sword out of him, sending Sephiroth falling to his knees. He left the man next to the broken tank where the monster he claimed to be his mother floated. Those glowing eyes though, they unnerved Angel._

 _The victor made his way down the stairs towards Zack and glancing over at Tifa. There was a sudden shattering of glass and heavy footsteps as Sephiroth limped to the exit, holding the severed head of the decaying woman. "How dare you!"_

 _"Cloud," Zack called, confirming what Angel had already figured out. She was seeing through Cloud's eyes. Was this his hell?_

 _"Finish Sephiroth off," he grunted through the pain._

 _Cloud nodded and turned to look up the stairs at the man turned monster._

 _"Sephiroth!" he shouted as he took Zack's sword and charged him, but this time Sephiroth was ready. Striking a painful blow, he disarmed Cloud and sent him rolling back into the tank room. Cloud stopped on his side, and Angel felt the painful stab as Sephiroth struck him with his sword, lifting him up on the end of the blade. The man with silver hair that mirrored her own chuckled as he mercilessly dangled Cloud on the end of the blade, like a roasting marshmallow stuck on a stick over a campfire, Sephiroth held him dangling over the mako below._

 _"You see mother? These pests are so feeble, one stick and they're done."_

 _Sephiroth stopped as the blond's hand moved and gripped the blade. Then the other hand gripped it, and Sephiroth's eyes widened as the blond grunted and shouted out in pain, pulling himself further along the blade. He kept going until he was able to set his feet on solid ground and then, with the sword still impaling him, he lifted Sephiroth off the ground. The silver-haired general was too stunned to let go._

 _"Impossible!"_

 _Without a word, Cloud shouted as he threw Sephiroth with all his strength, and his entire body shuddered when the sword was ripped from him. Sephiroth struck an electrical panel on the side and fell into the depths below, splashing into a vat of glowing liquid. Cloud stumbled out, holding his side as the wound gushed blood from both entry and exit point before his strength gave out and he fell down the stairs, sliding to a halt near Zack._

 _"You did it Cloud."_

 _Angel thought the nightmare was over, but it was just beginning. Someone was standing over her and Cloud as he was lifted on a cloth stretcher._

 _"Hmm, intriguing! Most intriguing! He'll make a fine test subject."_

 _Angel went through a blur of events that flashed by, but the pain was so real, she felt every nerve screaming in pure agony, and the terror that rattled her core was so similar to her own hell._

 _Cloud was strapped down to a cold, metal table, wires and tubes hooked up to him as Hojo monitored his vitals before attaching an IV that pumped a bright glowing serum. Cloud's arm contracted in with pain, and he cried out as the liquid burned through his veins like acid._

 _"Hmm, injections don't seem to work well for you," Hojo mocked. "Perhaps we'll try tank submersion." Oh, it worked alright, but instead of a slow, crawling burning it was like he dove right into the heart of a volcano's magma chamber. He wasn't even offered an oxygen mask as Hojo seemed to relish in the torture he was inflicting._

 _Next, Cloud was back on the table, though he was forced to lie on his stomach while Hojo stuck a set of shots directly into his spine. His arms were shaking with raw pain and fear, but Hojo paid no mind._

 _"Hold still if you don't wished to be paralyzed. You'll need your arms and legs for later tests, and they will happen whether or not you can move."_

 _Tears streamed down Cloud's face as he tried to think of anything else to get his mind away from the pain."Tifa… Tifa… Tifa…" he kept saying her name over and over. It was the only thing that helped him get through it._

 _Another day in the tank and then it was back on the table again in the same position._

 _"Hmm, it seems that last test was unsuccessful," the professor mused. "Let's see if there's anything under the surface."_

 _Cloud had no idea what he meant, but he knew it would be hell. He was right as Hojo took a scalpel and cut into the skin around his shoulder blade and peeled it back. Cloud roared with pure agony as Hojo exposed oxygen to his raw muscles._

 _"Hmm, shame. It seems only Sephiroth and the degradants had enough in their system from the start to produce that extra mobility. I suppose I better seal up the exposure to save my ears." He lifted the staple to stitch the entry but then stopped. "Then again what better way to see how well the mako is bonding to you then to let you heal on your own?"_

 _The next thing Cloud knew he was dragged to a room with two tanks. One was already occupied, and through his pain, he saw Zack suspended in the liquid, out cold._

 _They shoved him into the empty tank and liquid rose up the moment the door sealed shut. Cloud knew he had precious few seconds to act. He pounded on the glass walls of his prison and called out Zack's name, but the warrior couldn't hear him._

 _And then the burning liquid reached his back._

 _Cloud's scream tore through Angel's mind and heart, and she instantly knew then that he perfectly understood her pain, her fear and her hell._

 _Once again, Cloud's voice cried out, but this time in was in her head, as he was thinking: "Tifa… Tifa… Tifa…"_

 _Now she understood why she sensed such a strong connection he had to Tifa. They may be friends, sure, but his love for her ran deep. She was the single being that kept him sane. Zack had saved him and helped him, certainly, but it was Tifa that had saved his soul._

* * *

Angel sat on the couch, her knees huddled up against her chest and her face buried in her arms. Yuffie sat next to her, unsure of how to help the girl. She saw Cloud and Tifa.

"She woke up screaming like someone stabbed her or something." Yuffie said quietly, "I tried to get her to calm down and talk... you know? I got a couple words out of her, but she's really scared. She mentioned... Sephiroth... and Hojo... and Tifa..."

Cloud's eyes widened at that before he approached her and knelt down carefully, so as not to intimidate her. "Angel? What did you see?"

Hearing his voice, she looked up, her eyes overflowing with tears. "Burn... burn... Tifa... bleeding... Hojo... burning... S-s-sephiroth... burning!..." She shook her head, her eyes pleading with Cloud to make it stop.

Cloud's eyes widened ever further as they glowed brighter, seeing what she was seeing. It was his own hell. The nightmares from his past that plagued him. His hometown up in flames, Tifa near death, Sephiroth with that accursed head, and Hojo... Shiva, he had to get her away from those images! He pulled Angel in close, trying to shield her from those horrendous visions that were now flowing through his own mind, as his eyes glowed brightly and resembled the eyes of a cat.

"Tifa," he called out, knowing she was nearby still. "She's seeing Nibelheim burn."

Yuffie stood up, backing up a step. "Woah... Cloud, your eyes... Tifa?"

"She dreamed about Nibelheim?" Tifa gasped.

Angel clung to Cloud, sobbing hard though she seemed to calm considerably. "...Hojo... burn... hurts... burning... Hojo..." her words started coming slower, now, but she still hung onto him for dear life. Cloud felt himself slowly descending back into a panic as she clung to him, and the visions became more vivid as they flashed in a whirl within his mind.

Tifa crouched down next to them, placing a hand on each of them, and as her hand made contact, Angel took a shaky breath in, calming even more. It was her warm touch that helped him keep his solid footing on reality, and he felt his vision returning to normal.

"It's alright." he soothed, "It was one of the darkest times of my life, but it's in the past. It can't hurt me anymore, and it won't hurt you. You're so much stronger than that. Sephiroth is dead. Hojo is dead."

Angel slowly pulled back to meet his eyes, tears still clinging to her eyelashes, though she refrained from withdrawing from his comforting embrace. "In... the past?" She glanced at Tifa, her eyes softening, before looking back at him.

Cloud offered the most comforting grin as he tried to ease her fears. "That's right. It took me a while to move on, but with the right support, you can overcome it. We'll help you do just that."

Angel sniffled a bit, wiping at her eyes.

Tifa decided to steer the conversation in a new direction. "Angel, we'd like to ask some questions." she began, giving Cloud's shoulder a light, reassuring squeeze, "Is that okay?"

Angel glanced up at Tifa and nodded. "Okay."

Cloud instinctively reached and gripped the comforting hand on his shoulder. It surprised him as it was just a reaction, but he didn't shy away from it either. He decided he'd start the questions. "That place you came from... you weren't the only one they kept, were you. Who was that boy?"

Her eyes filled with pain as she remembered him, she nodded at Cloud. "My... brother." she confirmed. "Many others... in cage."

Yuffie sat down on a chair not far from them, the gravity of the situation finally hitting the ninja princess. "So there's a bunch of people locked up for experiments." She exhaled. "I thought _**Shinra**_ was bad."

Cloud couldn't help the anger that built up from deep within, but he forced it out with an exhale as he closed his eyes before turned to look Yuffie dead in the eyes. His eyes had returned to normal, but they were still intimidating. "Scientists are always worse. They forsake any loyalty or morality for the name of science. If someone offers them better resources or funds they'll take it. There was another scientist besides Hojo who left and turned traitor."

He thought back to those early days, when he was still in the infantry.

"One of Zack's missions... I was assigned to help him and keep a man named Hollander from escaping. I don't remember everything, but he was just as disgusting as Hojo, trying to turn honorable men into monsters."

"Good men like Angeal."

Cloud turned towards the stairwell where Zack was standing. "The kids are asleep. I calmed them down. Denzel's a tough kid."

He walked over to the group. "I caught some of what happened, but I get the jist of it." He looked over at Cloud. "You're not going to free the others alone. You had better count me in. No one else will suffer like we did for any longer than they have to."

Yuffie stood up, determination written all over her face.

"You can count me in, too!" she declared, placing her hands on her hips. Almost comically, as she attempted to look stoic and brave, a loud yawn overtook her.

Tifa nodded at Zack and Yuffie gratefully. Looking back to Cloud, she added, "If we're going to tackle this, we need a safe place for Denzel and Marlene."

Cloud nodded. "We'll still head for the resort and make plans from there. We already promised the kids, and we all need a break. I'll see who we can call. If we need to, we can retreat to Wutai, assuming Lord Godo would be willing to have some guests."

Zack blinked, "Wait, you're on speaking terms with the head of Wutai? And you can ask him for a favor, just like that?!"

Cloud gestured his hand towards Yuffie as if saying, _His daughter's standing right here._

"It's not like we haven't helped him before, and the whole world knows of our past deeds."

Zack smirked. "Since when did you start bragging?"

"I'm not bragging; it's called honesty."

Cloud looked up to Tifa, silently asking for some help with the knucklehead.

She smiled down at him. "I think it's about time that Cloud recognizes just how much he's done. In my opinion, he's always been too humble about it." Looking at Zack, she added, "Cloud and you have somewhere to go this morning while Yuffie and I-" she looked over at the ninja princess, who was now curled up in the chair, dozing. Tifa chuckled and shook her head. "-while _**I**_ start packing and getting ready to go."

There was no way Cloud would be able to get back to sleep after that, even with Tifa there. He looked down at Angel and smiled lightly at her. "Zack and I have to head out somewhere, but we'll be back soon. Then we'll leave here and go someplace safer. Okay?"

Angel flashed a lovely smile at him. "Be... careful." she told him.

He nodded as he stood up, "Always."

He looked to Tifa then, "We won't be long. You know where I'm going if you need me."

* * *

Zack noted that Cloud was very careful as they left Seventh Heaven. Peering down every ally and scanning every shadow. He knew Cloud hated that he had to leave them, but Tifa and Yuffie were both strong and capable. He still had every right to worry. Just to be on the safe side, the blonde rolled Fenrir down the street about three blocks before he and Zack mounted it, and he revved it up. The ex-SOLDIER knew why he had done that. If anyone _**was**_ watching, they hopefully wouldn't realize the lack of the bike signified Cloud and Zack's absence from the house.

"So where is this special place we're going?" asked Zack as they made their way through the desert. The moon slowly descending as the horizon started to glow with predawn light.

"You need a sword, and I should have just headed here from the start, but…"

"You didn't want to leave the others alone," Zack finished for him.

"…Yeah."

"Can't blame you there," Zack said with a smile. "But when I get this new sword I'm gonna send that guy running!"

Cloud smirked, knowing just how right he was. They headed into the ruins of Midgar, and Cloud slowed to carefully weave around the endless mounds of trash and debris. Zack looked around; taking in just how messed up the city was now and gazed in awe at what remained of the plate above. It almost looked more impressive like this than it did before. From here he could see just how dominating and oppressing it had been, and now as the morning glow got brighter on the horizon and the first rays hit the tallest part of the plate, he took in just how much more sunlight made it into the slums. Cloud slowed to a stop then and Zack pulled his eyes away from what was above to focus on their destination. His eyes opened wide at what he saw.

"We're here," Cloud announced as he dismounted.

Zack's jaw dropped slightly as he stumbled to follow after his friend. "But this is…"

Cloud slid open one of the broken doors. He slung himself under a collapsed pillar as Zack jumped over it to get to the spring.

Zack took a step forward. "What is this?"

"A spring of healing water," Cloud replied with such warmth that it surprised Zack. The warrior approached the water and stared at his own reflection.

"I hope Aerith wasn't upset when it appeared. She really loves these flowers." When Zack looked around, he noticed the surprised expression on Cloud's face.

"What's wrong? I was wondering if she's been here lately. I need to find her! Before I died, it had been five years since I saw her last, and I don't even know how much time has passed since then!"

"About four or five…" Cloud replied before his mind slowed to a halt. "Wait, Zack the girl you wanted to get back to…"

"Was Aerith," Zack finished. He looked around for any signs before calling out,

"Aerith! You here?" He then looked at the sky to determine what time it was, maybe they were too early? But he wasn't going to leave without seeing her. It had already been too long. Zack then looked over and saw the heartbroken expression on his friend's face. Cloud's eyes were glistening with unshed tears.

"Hey," he walked over and placed a hand on his buddy's shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Cloud brushed the hand away and took a few paces to distance himself, confusing the hell out of Zack, and he felt a bit hurt that his friend had pushed him away.

"Cloud?"

"Aerith isn't coming, Zack… she… she died years ago."

Zack's eyes widened, betraying his shock and grief, but he wore a smile of pure denial. "This isn't something to joke about…"

Cloud shook his head, his eyes shut tight. "In order to stop Meteor, she had to let her guard down and focus on casting Holy. Sephiroth struck then and he… I couldn't… I tried… but she died in my arms…" Zack turned then and walked towards the edge of the spring.

"Zack, I'm sorry,"

Zack fell to his knees, picked a flower from the bed that still flourished around the spring, and hugged it close to him as he wept. The sunlight had risen high enough to bless the church with a bright beam of light which reflected on the sword stuck into the cement platform across from the spring. The reflection shown just above Zack, but it was enough to catch his eye. He looked at the Buster Sword but felt no joy.

Suddenly, a shadow blocked out the brilliant rays of the rising sun, and Zack felt arms slide over his shoulders gently and embrace him, just as she had done all those years ago. He could almost smell her hair... feel her breath as she whispered softly into his ear.

"Hellllooooooo?"

Zack slowly lifted his gaze to stare ahead of him, at the water, and he saw a reflection of her looking back. The sunlight shining on her made her glow in the most radiant light. He felt comforted by the vision of her presence, even if she wasn't really...

Wait...

He felt the weight on his shoulders, and her warm breath on his ear as she spoke. He didn't even hesitate as he took her in his arms and embraced her, never ever wanting to let go ever again. "Aerith! Please, Minerva, don't let this be a dream! I am so sorry... for everything. I wanted to get back to you..."

He cried harder, unable to speak anymore. She said nothing and simply embraced him, and then, after a few moments, drew back to meet his eyes.

"Nope. You're not dreaming. I'm here." she smiled, and then seemed a little confused. "I'm here..." she repeated, as if saying it again could clear up the mystery.

He offered her his truest, brightest smile, through his tears which were still flowing from his eyes, but they were warm and grateful. "I have so much to tell you... and I swear, I will grant every single one of those wishes! Just you wait and see!"

There was an audible thud, which startled Zack, and he looked over in the direction of the noise. Cloud was no longer standing where he had been, and the dark-haired warrior realized he had forgotten his buddy was even there for a moment... but where was he now?

"Spiky?"

He stood up, being mindful of the flowers and walked over towards the rows of pews. In between one of the rows, Cloud was on the floor, out cold.

"Cloud!"

Aerith quickly made her way to the two of them, kneeling down next to Cloud. She placed a hand on his forehead.

"Poor Cloud... he's been through so much. You both have." She looked up at Zack. "We should get him off the floor."

She stood up and bent over the unconscious blond, grasping an arm. She then looked at him expectantly before chuckling. "Are you gonna help me, silly? I can't lift him by myself."

Zack smirked, pretending to roll up the sleeves he didn't have as he jumped over the pew to reach the other side. "Boy, this brings back memories... only, he's a bit heavier since last time," he joked as he helped Aerith lift and move him. "Where should we set him? This place is kind of a mess."

She nodded, scanning the church. "It sure isn't the way I remember," Aerith agreed, struggling under Cloud's weight. "but... it sort of is..."

Setting Cloud down on the pew, she cupped his chin to lift his face up, then tapped his cheek lightly. "Cloud? Wake up, Cloud!"

Zack looked at her more closely as the way she explained it registered; it was a lot like how he felt when he was wandering the wastes. Could that be it? He smiled, knowing that if Angel was responsible once again, she not only had an eternal friend in Cloud, but in Zack, too.

"Give it time; things will start to make sense after a while. Just don't go up to a dragon asking for help." He joked with a chuckle.

* * *

Slowly, Cloud's eyes opened, and when he saw her, he felt immediately at ease. She had come to him once again, like she normally did when times were tough, though he was surprised she had waited this long to visit his dreams. "Where were you?"

Zack smirked. "Now listen here, pal. You don't get to upset me like that. I'm calling that foul play from here on out. You got me?"

Cloud blinked, suddenly very confused as he sat up, holding his head and looked around. Had he been dreaming that entire thing? Even Angel? Why was he sleeping in the church? He turned to his friends, unsure of anything anymore.

"Are you feeling okay? You didn't hit your head, did you," asked Zack.

Aerith watched Cloud, looking mystified by his behavior. She smiled again at Zack, shrugging slightly. In an instant, her expression changed to one of alarm. She suddenly leaped to a standing position, gasping. She ran towards the door of the church with purpose, her eyes reflecting her worry.

"Did it work?" she cried.

Cloud watched her react with panic, which was very new for him because she was nothing but calm whenever she visited his dreams, yet she was rushing towards the doorway and without telling him anything helpful. He couldn't let her leave yet; he had to know.

"Aerith! Wait!" He reached out and grabbed her hand only to gasp himself when he actually felt the contact.

Normally, when he tried to touch her in any way, she vanished, and the dream would end. Not only did it keep going, however, but he managed to stop her! His reaction was similar to Zack's though he was too stunned to shed tears.

"This is real... you're... real..."

He pulled her in close, embracing her tightly as he trembled, his mind too stunned to think.

Zack stood back and watched them for a bit, letting Cloud have his peace, and then he headed over when Aerith looked at him, as if asking why. He wrapped his arms around both of them and they shared a group hug. "This is how it was supposed to be from the start."

Cloud opened his eyes. A small voice in his head wondered when he had become so used to hugs lately, but the rest of him squashed that stupid bravado. He'd take a hug every day of the week if it meant Aerith and Zack got to stay.

Zack saw Aerith getting more confused before he decided to intervene in a clever, yet funny way. "Okay, okay, that's enough; she's my girl. Go find your own." He nudged his buddy in the shoulder with a wink.

Aerith drew back slowly, looking Cloud in the eyes to make sure he was all right.

"Now, I don't mind saying that I'm a little confused, here." she smiled, finally stepping back to look at both of them. "Would someone mind filling me in, please? Last I knew, I was..." Her voice trailed off, and her smile dissolved, as if she were remembering something. "I was in the Ancient city... I don't remember anything after that... though I... I feel something..."

"What do you feel?" asked Cloud, ready to fill her in carefully, but also not wanting to traumatize her. It was a nightmare that still plagued him on some nights.

"Are you in pain?" questioned Zack, equally worried.

She folder her hands behind her back, a comfortable gesture Cloud was used to seeing.

"No, Zack. I'm not in pain. Well... it's difficult to explain." she began, looking around the church. "Like this place... I don't remember there being water here, and some of the columns aren't where I remember them... but, at the same time, I know that everything is right where it should be."

She looked back at Cloud. "I can feel it... but I don't remember it."

Cloud nodded then, understanding what she meant. "Things changed a lot while we were fighting to save the world a few times. And it's solely because of you that we even lived to see today."

He stopped and tried to figure out how to properly word this.

"Holy worked. Meteor was destroyed. It did take Midgar with it, but you saved the planet." He then glanced down at his arm, below where the ribbon was tied, a ribbon meant to honor her memory, and now it would also honor every new memory.

"You saved countless others two years later when you created a cure to a fatal disease. I found a child outside this church who had it and..." he stopped, thinking back to the pain GeoStigma had caused him. "I had it too."

He looked over towards the spring and smiled. "The water still has healing properties."

She smiled. "Wow! I must be exhausted from all of that!" She still looked confused. "Why don't I remember any of it? Did I hit my head and get amnesia?"

That made his smile vanish instantly. This wasn't going to be easy to explain. "You did most of that... from the Lifestream. You started casting Holy in the City of the Ancients, but Sephiroth stopped you. None of us saw it coming, and even though I was right there... I... couldn't even..." He felt the guilt overwhelm him all over again as he fell to his knees in front of her.

"I'm so sorry Aerith. You told me you never blamed me, but I blamed myself every single day. It wasn't fair that I got to live while you..." He couldn't finish.

It took her a few moments to absorb all she had heard. After glancing at Zack, she looked back to Cloud, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder.

"Cloud, it's all right." she soothed. "Regret is such a horrible thing to have, isn't it? I don't have to remember it to know that you did your best to save me. But now, it doesn't matter, does it? I'm here... alive... right in front of you."

She took his hand, standing up, and attempted to pull him up with her.

Regret... he had carried it for so long it he barely noticed the weight anymore, but did that mean he was stronger for it? He didn't think so, but then again, he was reminded of that feeling when her healing rain had come pouring down, washing away all of his regret and guilt. A small bit of it survived, but she was washing it away once again. He realized that his greatest wish had been granted. Here with him were his two greatest losses, now returned to him.

He had a second chance to make things right, and he would not fail them again. He felt the moment when every fading trace of that guilt washed away. It was now reduced to nothing more than an ugly distant memory. He let her pull him back to his feet and gave a deep sigh of relief.

"If she's responsible for this, too... there'll be no way I can properly thank her." He turned to Zack then, knowing he'd understand.

"That's what I'm thinking too," he replied.

Cloud then smiled at Zack then and looked behind the warrior. "Well? Are you just going to let it sit up there? Get your sword so we can all head home!"

"Huh? Oh! Right, the Buster Sword!"

Zack scrambled to get his sword, while being mindful of the flowers, not wanting to upset his wonderful sweetheart.

"Who's responsible?" Aerith asked, trying to pick up on the conversation, watching Zack with a smile as he tiptoed around the flowers.

Cloud had to suppress a chuckle when Zack comically waved his arms, trying not to fall into the water before regaining his balance and made it up to his sword. He then turned his attention back to the flower girl. "There's a girl Tifa found in the wastes, and she has amazing powers, including the ability to revive the dead. She brought back both of you and the boy I mentioned earlier, Denzel, when a tonberry attacked him. She can apparently share visions and dreams, too."

"Yeah, but that's mostly been with you," Zack added as he approached, Buster Sword slung over his shoulder, and he looked complete. "Hey, you sure you want me to have this Cloud?"

Cloud looked at him solemnly as he held out his hand. Zack handed him the sword, and Cloud took it. He then took a few steps away from them before spinning the sword as he always did after every victory. He then offered the sword back to his best friend. "Your honor and dreams are your own. I can't carry them for you any longer. I lived for the both of us, and now I'm giving your destiny back to you. Take it and embrace your own dreams."

Zack accepted the sword gratefully from his friend, once again slinging it onto his back.

"She brings people back from the dead?" Aerith asked, surprised, "That's... that's pretty incredible. Will I get to meet her? I want to thank her."

"You'll get to meet her. She's staying back at Cloud and Tifa's place. But we probably should get going; we still got a ways to go before we set out and I don't want to leave the girls alone for too long."

Cloud nodded and made towards the doorway. "Sorry, but this is going to be a tight fit. You'll have to sit between us or even on his lap."

"Oh, really?" asked Zack, sounding a bit too happy about that. Cloud just rolled his eyes with a smirk and shook his head. "Come on, let's all go home."


End file.
